Speak Now
by Serenity12
Summary: It's one thing for the man you love to get a girlfriend. It's something else entirely for him to take her as his wife.
1. Speak Now

'_I shouldn't be doing this.' _Isabella frowned at her reflection in the mirror, yet even as she chastised herself she didn't stop adjusting her long, dangling earrings, taking extra care as she put them on in an attempt to not damage the delicate strings of silver. Her eyes trailed down to her body and she fretfully smoothed the fabric of her dress, smiling a bit at the silken touch. She was fond of this outfit, it was true, but that wasn't why she wore it now. Through all the compliments she had received for the dress, there was only one that made her beautiful every time she put it on.

_"Good choice, Isabella, that dress looks great on you! The blue really brings out your eyes; I never noticed how pretty they looked before!" _Phineas had smiled as he flattered her, and for one wonderful moment Isabella had dared to hope that maybe there was a spark starting to ignite in his eyes.

To her disappointment though, he did not grab her by the waist and proclaim his hidden love for her, or blush and stammer because she was simply that gorgeous, but instead simply turned and grinned at Ferb as he came out in his tuxedo, swinging an arm around his neck as he laughed joyfully, _"Lookin' good bro! To think, Candace was worried we'd make a mess at her wedding! Have you ever seen a better looking group of people?" _

That had been barely two years ago, and while Isabella had hoped that the romantic atmosphere of Candace and Jeremy uniting their lives together would have opened Phineas's eyes to the possibility of a love between _them_, it had not turned out that way. In fact, it had taken a turn for the worst, for that was where Phineas had met Jacqueline, a pretty little European girl Jeremy had befriended on his short visit to Paris many summers ago, who had recently moved into the Danville area. She had spoken to the group about her younger sister Adele, and when she expressed her concern about finding a group of friends for her that would provide a good influence, Phineas had cheerfully volunteered that the girl come join his small assembly of comrades.

Jacqueline had been a lovely sight, what with her soft locks of auburn hair and speckled green eyes, and Isabella had silently hoped that the mysterious Adele wouldn't be quite so attractive, for no specific reason, of course. Yet the day arrived where they finally met the young woman, and Isabella had felt her confidence drop as if someone had attached 10 pound weights to it. The girl was not lovely; she was _exquisite_. She shared the same green eyes and auburn hair as her older sister, but while Jacqueline had opted for short bob that fell to her shoulder, Adele wore her hair long and loose down her back, with perfect curls that occurred naturally and caught highlights of sunshine. Her body was petite and well portioned, curving and flattening in all the right places, and she had a smile that expertly balanced an endearing amount of coyness with a warm, kind aura.

Phineas had treated her no differently than he did any other stranger, and welcomed her into their troop with opened arms. At first Isabella had been optimistic and tried to form a friendship with the girl, but Adele had been painfully shy and equally as awkward, only blossoming when Phineas provided her gentle encouragement. It wasn't much of a surprise; Phineas was able to bring anyone out of their shell, if only temporarily.

Adele's social dependence on him, however, ending up bringing the two closer together, and while the girl had been shy in every other aspect, it turned out that she was quite the passionate romantic. Isabella had never felt so much hatred mixed with an odd amount of admiration and envy when Adele did the very thing Isabella had always been too cautious to do; confess to the brilliant boy with the fiery red hair and infectious grin that she _wanted_ him, all to herself.

Isabella had cried in her rooms for hours on end and tried to listen to Ferb's gentle support, and though she had considered bursting in with her own confessions of love, one look at Phineas's face always stopped her in her tracks. He was happy-no, _giddy_, all of the time. His eyes lit in a way they never had before, and when he turned his gaze to Isabella, waiting expectantly for her to share in his joy, she never denied him a smile. Much to Ferb's disapproving frown, Isabella had stepped aside, head-bowed, and said nothing to her childhood friend, for if he was happy, she reasoned, that would be enough to keep her satisfied.

It wasn't, not at all. Every night she hugged herself as she fell asleep, trying not to think of what Phineas and his girlfriend were doing, if they were laughing together, holding each other, kissing, or…Isabella never let herself think deeper than that, least she make herself sick.

Perhaps it would have been easier to simply move on if things had remained well between Phineas and his new girl, but once the initial high had worn off, problems had begun to arise, and Phineas was seen more often then not running a hand through his messy hair as he stressed on yet another issue involving none other than Adele. The girl was kind enough, and certainly seemed to care for him, but she was demanding, in numerous areas. The group was slowly revealed to the severe amount of perfectionism Adele tried to enforce in her life, and though they had tenderly tried to convince Phineas that such behavior wouldn't be healthy for him, he had insisted that Adele had justified reasons for acting the way she did. He indulged her in every way imaginable and always apologized profusely when things did not go as she had hoped, even when it was something out of his control.

Isabella would always remember the look on Phineas's face the night of their high school prom, wide eyed and guilty, as he maneuvered through the crowd of dancing teenagers in search of his date, who had run off in tears because someone had accidently stepped on the train of her dress and ripped it slightly. While Isabella had danced the night away, enjoying a decent amount of platonic fun with her own date, Phineas had spent the entire evening comforting Adele and trying to make her pleased. It didn't seem right for Phineas to have anything less than a smile on his face, yet it seemed over time his grins flashed less and his worried grimace grew more frequent.

Still, despite it all, the pair had gotten engaged shortly after graduation, whether by Phineas's initiation or Adele's insistence, no one knew. That had been the final blow for Isabella, her heart shattering as if it were a delicate glass heirloom and someone had taken it and thrown it against the wall. Gretchen had been her hero that night; immediately, before Isabella even had the chance to tear up, the former fireside girl follower had offered to go get champagne to congratulate the newly engaged couple, discreetly using Isabella's car as an excuse to drag her along. They had sat in the parking lot for what seemed like an eternity, Gretchen's thin arms wrapped gingerly around Isabella's huddled form as she sobbed her broken heart out.

After that, Isabella didn't see much of Phineas. Of course, no one did really, mainly due to how busy he had become preparing his wedding and finding new living arrangements for him and his fiancé, yet there were more reasons that simply that. Perhaps Adele had always suspected that Isabella had feelings for Phineas, but she had never seemed to pay it much mind until the night of her engagement, where she saw the look of desolation in Isabella's big, blue eyes. Since then, Adele seemed to make it a general rule that Isabella and Phineas were not to be alone together, or, preferably, not even in the same vicinity. It didn't really matter though; Isabella did her best to avoid Phineas at that point regardless of how Adele felt. Her emotions were too erratic, too powerful, there was no telling if she'd be able to hold herself back if she looked into his deep blue eyes for too long. What exactly it was that she would do, she didn't know. Cry, perhaps, or kiss him, or maybe even both. It didn't matter what it was that she did, in the end, it would only come back to hurt her.

Nevertheless, here she was, on the day of her best friends wedding, dressed in her finest and slowly gathering her belongings in her purse. Isabella shook her head all the while, muttering to herself that she was being stupid. She hadn't even been invited to the event, technically. That was likely Adele's doing, as Phineas had left her a voicemail only a few days before hand, asking her to call him to let him know if she would like the chicken or beef for dinner. She had never called him back. She didn't intend to go to his wedding, not at first, but then the day actually came and as much as she hated to admit it, Isabella _missed_ him. She wanted to see his face, if only for a moment, even if it was going to kill her to see him dressed in his grooms' tuxedo, she would rather die on the inside then continue going crazy without his bright smile beaming down at her.

Isabella took one last look in the mirror before leaving the house, her heart sunken and uncertain of what she was about to do. She clutched the directions Phineas had e-mailed to her and she wondered, mildly, if it really mattered to him whether she was there or not. She wasn't sure if either answer would make her happy at this point.

She arrived at a large church, beautiful with high panels of stained glass and a large brass bell held in a tall tower atop the building, and thought bitterly to herself what a lovely wedding this was ought to be. It would be perfect, she knew, with rose petals and pretty little flower girls and elegant decorations all placed in the exactly right place. Isabella watched as an older couple entered the building before her, and took note of the man standing post at the front door, checking their names on a clip board before ushering them into the church. Of course Adele would make sure no one came uninvited to her wedding-that would have been less than perfect.

Isabella looked around, certain that her name was likely _not_ on the list, and noticed a back entrance that seemed unguarded. She would just go to see him, that's all. Just a quick look, and then she'd leave before Adele or even Phineas knew she was there.

Nodding to herself as if trying to convince her own conscious that everything would be fine, she took a lungful of air before murmuring under her breathe, "Ok, here it goes."

She opened the large door as quietly as she could, poking her head in and glancing around to make sure no one was there to catch her. Upon seeing the coast was clear, Isabella quickly darted into the building, closing the door softly behind her. Her eyes trailed along the room, there were multiple hall ways, but the question was, which one would lead her to Phineas?

She began to wander aimlessly until a sudden cough startled her, causing her to whirl around in panic, "Oh! I'm sorry, I was just…"

Ferb smiled as he watched Isabella stare at him like a deer caught in the head lights. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw it was him and she gave a bashful grin, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Oh, hi Ferb."

The young man with a mane of green hair pointed to the hall on his left, gesturing for Isabella to follow him. He led her to one of the back rooms of the church, pieces of tuxedo garments and plastic wrappings strewed across the few pieces of furniture, and made a motion for her to sit as he went to the mirror to finish adjusting his tie.

Isabella moved a jacket that had been tossed on a chair and sat, relieved that it had been Ferb who found her and not anyone who knew she had no place there. She observed her friend quietly as he messed with his tie, finally finding her voice in an attempt to break the stale silence between them, "So…why aren't you with Phineas?"

"I could ask the same." Ferb glanced coolly at Isabella's expression in the reflection of the mirror, seemingly surprised by his soft murmuring. He lifted an eyebrow at her, as if telling her, '_come on, you knew I would bring that up_.'

"Um…uh…" Isabella stammered nervously, fidgeting with the fabric of her dress, "Well, I was looking for him, but I can only stay for a few minutes, I have…cookies to bake. For my Grandma. I just wanted to say hi to him before he…"

She heard a critical click of Ferb's tongue as he shook his head at her, his eyes, mellow as always, staring her down as if he could see through her as easily as a piece of glass. Isabella tried to stand her ground, but she felt her defenses breaking, weakening under the steady gaze of Ferb's watch until she felt her bottom lip start to quake and the tears begin to prick the edges of her eyes. Try as she might to wipe the droplets away, Isabella found that as soon as she cleared herself of one, another soon followed, until they began to trail down her pale cheek. Ferb made his way over to him and silently offered her his handkerchief, as he had done so many times before.

Isabella tried to smile her thanks, but it broke as quickly as it began, and she firmly pressed the cloth tissue to her drenching cheeks, "Ferb, I just can't believe it. He's getting _married_. That was supposed to be me, even Candace's future kids said so, remember? They said I looked like Aunt Isabella, I just knew then that I was going to marry Phineas, and then he started going out with Adele and I thought that if _he_ was happy _I_ could be happy, but I always thought, in the back of my head, that one day we would still end up together, but now he's going to be gone forever and I don't know…"

She felt Ferb rest his hand on her shoulder, trying to steady her. Had she been shaking? It didn't feel like she had been, but then again, Isabella felt very little of anything besides her own private turmoil at the moment. She leaned into his shoulder and Ferb tightened his grip on her, trying to comfort his friend in the few ways he knew how, allowing her to quietly sob on his shoulder for a few moments before positioning her up-right and staring her down once more.

Isabella had been a good friend to both Phineas _and_ Ferb through-out their entire childhood, and she still hadn't failed them when they entered their teen years, even when everyone else in the group slowly started drifting apart. She was a loyal friend, a natural leader, good hearted and courageous to boot. Ferb loved his brother and wanted the best for him, and he knew, had known for many years, that _Isabella_ was best for him. Perhaps Adele would make Phineas content, but Ferb doubted that she would make him as blissful as the young woman sitting next to him would. Isabella simply made sense with Phineas, that's all there was to it.

Isabella stared back at him, waiting patiently at first to see if he wanted to speak, then sighed when she saw he did not, dropping her gaze to the ground as she spoke with a frail and defeated voice, "I just wish I had at least _told_ him, you know? Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much, maybe I could just move on…"

Ferb seemed distracted right then, his face scrunched up in thought. He glanced to his watch and back at her, then stood up, casually straightening out his tuxedo as he allowed quiet, soft words to escape his lips, "You know…" He blinked at Isabella, who looked up at him with her tear stained face, "There _is_ a reason they have the "speak now" portion of wedding ceremonies."

She gave him an incredulous look and he shrugged, waving goodbye to her as he made his way out of the room, supposedly to join Phineas's side at the alter. Isabella watched him go and bit her lip in thought, pondering on his words as she stepped over to a mirror and cleaned off the smudges left on her face from crying. She met the stare of her mirror image and began to drift away into a day dream, picturing herself bursting through church doors just as the priest announced for anyone to object.

"_Stop!"_ She'd shout, strong and confident. Phineas's jaw would drop at the sight of her and his eyes would trail over her figure, taken in by how the dress clung to her curves and how the long slit of her dress exposed her long and slender legs.

"_Phineas, you can't marry her!" _Isabella pictured herself standing with her shoulders back, staring Phineas down until he ran towards her, a large grin plastered across his face as he dropped to a knee in front of her.

"_You're right; of course I can't marry her! I love YOU!" _He'd grab her hand in his and look up at her with pleading eyes, adoring her more than words could pronounce, _"Isabella, you're so beautiful and wonderful, I can't believe it took me so long to realize it! Adele doesn't even compare to you! Can we be together forever? Please? Oh, let's get married, Isabella!"_

"_Well…ok!" _Isabella would giggle as he picked her up in his arms, everyone in the room cheering and throwing grains of rice over their heads. They'd both start to laugh as he carried her out of the church, into his car where they'd drive off into the sunset and live happily together, forever…

"**NO! That's NOT how it's supposed to be!**" Isabella was startled from her lovely dream as she heard what sounded like a woman shouting down the hall. Curiosity getting the best of her, she peeked her head out the door way, just in time to see Adele farther down the hall way, lifting her pastry-shaped gown so as to stomp away from a young bridesmaid who fluttered around her timidly.

"Adele, it's ok, we can fix it!"

"Fix it? FIX IT?" Adele turned sharply on the other girl, her pretty face crumpled up in frustration, "I had an IMAGE, Cecile! My mother would come in and congratulate me on getting married, and we'd tear up and cry and hug, and then she'd give me Grandmother's pendant to wear with my gown! HOW can we do that if she **didn't bring the pendant**?"

Cecile held up her hands in defense against the brides' wrath, speaking in a sweet voice to try and calm her friend, "Adele, you didn't tell her to **bring** the pendant! She didn't know you wanted it. One of us can run and grab it right now for you so that you can wear it; your moms' house isn't that far away, we'll be back before you're ready to walk down the aisle."

"It's not the SAME!" Adele was near tears now, clutching herself desperately, "It doesn't mean anything if you guys just thrust it to me at the last minute! It was supposed to be a **special moment**! She should have known that, she should have thought of that!"

"Adele!" A woman who appeared to be the brides mother strutted down the hall, waving her daughter down frantically, "Mon cher! Let mama get the pendant for you, s'il vous plaît! It's your wedding day, mon amour, be happy!"

"Go _away_!" With tears in her eyes, Adele fled down the hall into one of the ending rooms, the bridesmaid and mother following frantically behind her. Isabella stared wordlessly after them, torn between sympathy and exasperation towards the young bride. Even with Phineas in her life, Adele could never see the brighter side of things.

'_Doesn't she realize she has __**everything**__? That she has __**Phineas**__?'_ Isabella shook her head softly and began to glance around the hall. She noticed a musician rush through a nearby door, instrument in hand, and followed him, not wanting to be in the area should Adele return down her way. The doorway led to a side entrance of the ceremony room, near the back where everyone was seated. A large, luxurious curtain blocked her view of the audience, which was fine by her. If Isabella couldn't see them that meant that they, in turn, couldn't see her. She strolled behind the curtains, glancing around at the extra chairs and decorations it hid, until she came to a slight gap in between the draped cloths. Peeking through it, she could see everyone starting to take their seats in the pews, light chatter filling the room. She observed the Flynn-Fletchers chatting with who she assumed to be Adele's family, and couldn't help but notice how mismatched they seemed. While Phineas's family was a beacon of brightness, from their loud, happy voices, to their vibrantly colored hair, even down to their formal clothing, Adele's relatives were proper in the stiffest sense of the term, dressed head to toe in pastel colors and smug expressions that suggested they felt that they were the superior family.

'_Phineas…is this really how you thought your wedding would be?_' Isabella thought sadly to herself as she let her eyes scan the room. She'd been right about the decorations, of course; the room seemed like a picture straight out of a fairy tale, graceful and appropriate and…boring. The entire thing screamed Adele, but it didn't even give off a hint of Phineas's personality; there was nothing exhilarating or eccentric or spectacular about the layout of this event, not one bit.

When Isabella's gaze finally trailed to Phineas, standing casually at the alter as he spoke to Ferb, her suspicions were confirmed. Though he wore his signature smile, Phineas's entire body language seemed off. His shoulders were stiff and nervous, a common look for any husband-to-be, but it was his eyes that drew her in, placid and tentative as he attempted to force out a laugh with his stepbrother.

'_Your eyes should be shining right now. This is your day, Phineas._' Isabella felt her heart wrench out of her chest. She'd thought one look at him would be enough, but to see him like this, his expression dull in comparison to its usual energetic intensity, nothing felt right. She had come to see her brightly lit friend again, to bask in the warm radiance of his grin, but watching him had only left her feeling vacant and tattered.

The clergy began to take their places and the friendly chatter of the room hushed down to a silence as the musicians took their instruments in hand. Phineas composed himself, standing straight as opposed to his usual slouch, and held his hands properly folded in front of him, Ferb standing devotedly behind his best friend. Music began to play softly as the priest readied everything he needed, giving quiet blessings along the way, until he took his spot behind the alter and made the gesture to continue. The tune then shifted to a sound that was melodious and charming, cueing the bridesmaid to enter the ceremony room with their groomsmen walking beside them.

Isabella made sure to keep herself hidden behind the curtains as she watched Django lead the wedding party with a friend of Adele's on his arm, followed by Buford, who had cleaned up quite well for the occasion, with his partner in tow. Two other men who Isabella recognized as former high school friends of Phineas's walked in their respective pairs before Baljeet came into view, visibly nervous as his pretty brunette partner leaned into him. The main wedding party ended with a walk between one of Phineas's work associates and the little blond Isabella had seen Adele shouting at earlier, prompting Jacquelyn to begin her walk down the aisle alone, signifying her status as maid of honor.

'_There's so many people…_' Isabella thought to herself as she stared at the long, neatly filed row of friends that had lined up beside the alter. She smiled despite herself at the ring bear as he clumsily trotted down the walkway, his eyes glaring in determination at the rings placed on the pillow as if he were balancing a tray of china in a high beam circus act. Phineas gave him an encouraging smile as he approached the group and the little boy showed off a gaped tooth grin in return before awkwardly taking his place amongst the wedding party. The music began to slow as the flower girl approached, an adorably cheerful smile on her plump cheeks as she sprinkled rose petals on the pathway with every step she took, glancing anxiously over to her parents for approval. When she had made her final step towards the alter, the tune dwindled to an end, only to have the church's organ pick up where the musicians had left off with a song that sounded like a death march to Isabella's ears.

It was incredible that Adele could look so serene when only a few moments ago she had been falling apart in a tantrum. The young bride floated down the aisle with her father, carrying with her a grace that could have matched any well-trained pageant queen, young page boys carrying her long train behind her as soft murmurs of adoration followed her with every soft step. Isabella glanced anxiously to Phineas to gauge his reaction, but his expression had remained much the same as it had been before, albeit perhaps a bit softer. He extended his hand to his bride as she neared him, and Adele's father tenderly placed his daughters hand in Phineas's, symbolically giving his child away to be in the young mans care. They smiled at each other and turned towards the priest, the music fading as the last note was played. There was a moment of silence as everyone focused their attention on the man who would bind the couple before them together for all eternity.

The priest lifted his hands, his voice clear and booming in the large church, "Dearly beloved; We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony."

Isabella clutched the fabric of the curtains in her hands, her stomach turning as she listened to the priest begin the ceremony. Her mind was fogged with memories of her childhood, her teenage years, all circling around Phineas. He'd been beside her for so long, she didn't remember a life without his constant presence.

'_How am I gonna seize the day without you, Phineas? How am I gonna __**live**__?_'

"…The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord." The priest wore a serious expression as he studied the faces of the man and women before him, as if testing them to prove their love to him. His voice rang out with firm discipline as he bore his gaze down upon them, "Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God."

'_Don't do this Phinny, please, don't do this…_' Isabella could feel a large lump form in her throat as she struggled to hold back her pain. This was too much, it was twisted for her to have even watched this far. She was about to let go of the curtains and run, far away, until she couldn't run anymore, when she noticed Ferb's gaze turn to her. She stiffened; he couldn't know she was standing there, there was no possible way.

Yet his eyes were locked with hers, staring her down with a bemused expression. He cocked an eyebrow at her, then, just as quickly as he has turned his attention onto her, he jerked it away, focusing instead on the union of his brother to the entirely wrong girl.

'_The wrong girl…she's the wrong girl, Phineas!_' Something began to ignite in Isabella just then, an old determination she thought had been smothered long ago. Her fingers didn't drop the curtains as she had yearned to do only seconds ago, but instead dug into them, her stature strengthening with resolve.

"Into this holy union Phineas Flynn-Fletcher and Adele Prevot now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace." The priest paused, everyone turning to look amongst the crowd for any sign of objection. Isabella was sure her heart was about to burst as it flipped and warped within her chest.

'_Here's my last chance._' The raven haired beauty closed her eyes, taking in a calming breathe. Everyone had already begun to turn their attention back to the priest when she stepped out from behind the curtain onto the rose covered aisle, the taping of her heels echoing off the high walls of the silent room. Her hands shook terribly; she tried to steady them to no avail, and it wasn't long before her legs trembled as well. Few things had ever scared Isabella in her life time, but now, about to do the unthinkable, she was terrified beyond her wildest dreams.

"Um…" She cleared her throat, drawing back the attention of the audience who graced her with horrified looks, but her stare was only for Phineas, watching as the light in his eyes seemed to flicker at the sight of her.

"Hey Isabella!" There it was, the trademark grin Isabella had been so desperate to see, and he was shining it just for her. The excitement, however, quickly gave way to confusion, his smile still in place as he watched her with baffled emotions, "…what're you…?"

"Erm…I…" It felt as though someone had their hands wrapped around her throat, choking her as she tried to speak. Isabella glanced around the room and saw the anger and puzzlement that was all directed at her. She gulped and took a step forward as she spoke, praying for her voice to stay steady and strong, for her knees not to give out on her, for her not to black out on the spot.

"I…I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion, I know that, and I'm sorry, but…" Isabella drew in a breath, trying not to think about how Phineas's smile had faded from his lips. She lifted her chin defiantly, her blue eyes blazing with purpose, "You are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl, Phineas Flynn!"

There was a collective gasp in the room, a heated murmur starting to arise among the crowd. Adele's face turned a bright, ripe red, drop jawed and thoroughly mortified, the bridesmaids surrounding her looking as equally offended. Phineas did not lift his lips to smile at Isabella once more, nor did he race over to her and fall to his knees in a declaration of love.

He simply looked at her, dazed and somewhat wounded, his lips barely moving as he stammered out, "…what?"

Everything seemed to happen so fast after that. With barely any time to blink, Isabella felt two pairs of strong hands grab hold of her arms, roughly jerking her away as they began to drag her from the aisle. The priest began to yell for the men to release her, but he was drowned out by the raising voice of Adele's family, coupled with growing shouts from the Flynn's side of the church. Candace jumped from her seat and tried to make her way over Isabella, only to be stopped by Adele's mother, who began to have a frenzied argument with her on whether or not it was necessary to have the girl removed.

Isabella struggled in the men's grasp, not nearly strong enough to fend both of them off at once. She managed to temporarily free one arm and reached out towards Phineas, who appeared to have entered a state of shock.

Her voice cried out louder than anyone else as she pleaded with him, her eyes begging for him to listen, "Phineas, don't say yes! Just run away now, I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door! Please, don't say a single vow yet! You need to hear me out, Phineas!"

The sound of Isabella's distressed voice seemed to bring Phineas back into reality as he blinked wildly, trying to grasp the situation that had unfurled in front of him. His mother had slapped away 's hand after she had jabbed Candace in the chest, and now the two were sharing cross words while his father and Jeremy tried desperately to keep people in their seats before things got out of hand. He didn't dare turn to see how Adele was handling the situation; he already knew it wouldn't be good.

When everything had fully registered, he could feel himself almost fall into a panic, stretching his long arm out towards his old childhood friend as the ushers carried her out the door, stumbling after her as he called to them, "H-hey! Wait, let her go! Isabella!"

"**Phineas!**" He heard the horrified shriek of his bride and turned to look at her, her green eyes large with disbelief, "**What are you doing?**"

"Adele-" Phineas gaped at her with conflicted eyes, visibly torn as he glanced between her and the door. He waved his hands in desperation towards her, praying to make her understand as he implored her, "Adele, please, I don't know what's gotten into Isabella, just let me go talk to her real quick-"

"**NO!**" With the look she gave him right then, he might as well have just suggested that he go murder a small kitten.

"Adele-"

"**No, Phineas!**" Adele's face flushed, ready to break down bawling as she stared at the man who was supposed to become her husband. Her voice was nearly hysterical as she made a grab for his arm, trying to pull him back towards her, "No, no, **no!** What are you-why would you-**she just ruined everything**!"

"She's my friend!" Phineas, the man who had rarely ever raised his voice since he was a child, shouted as he attempted to make his bride understand the situation, "Let me talk to her, Adele! I can fix this!"

"**No you can't, you can't fix this, Phineas!"** The frantic bride screeched as she jerked Phineas towards her, her chest heaving as she attempted not to hyperventilate, "Just let her **go!**"

"Yes I can! If you would just-"

"**Fine!**" Adele released his arm, hugging herself protectively as she glared at him, her voice breaking in a mixture of tears and fury more intense than he'd ever thought she was capable of, "If you care so much, go, but **don't bother coming back**! Phineas, you promised me! You _**promised**_!"

Phineas had never been slapped across the face before, but he imagined that the sting was fairly similar to what he felt the moment the words left Adele's mouth. He looked at the door once more, and then to the woman he intended to make his wife.

In an extraordinary turn of events, Phineas Flynn-Fletcher had absolutely no idea what to do as his world crashed down around him. Even worse, he realized, Adele had been right.

Whatever was about to happen, it was not something he was going to be able to fix

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><p>This was originally meant to be a one shot, but there's so much I ended up wanting to include in this that I'll be splitting it up into a short chapter story.<p>

Obvious inspiration is obvious =P

Next chapter should be posted within the week.


	2. Someone Like You

Pacing was very cliché. Isabella has always thought so, and whenever she watched some actor darting back and forth on screen, anxiously awaiting life changing news, she always thought to herself how dizzy they must have felt by the end of that scene.

As it turned out, pacing didn't make a person dizzy at all. At least not when everything she had ever hoped for was about to either detonate into a million pieces or take wings and soar higher than she ever imagined it could. Now, on the edge of her life taking a shift into the unknown, Isabella absolutely adored pacing. She loved _moving_, loved the feeling of her legs carrying her wherever she wanted or needed to go, loved the fact that she could flee at the turn of a heel and leave all the chaos far behind as if it never happened at all.

'_I could still leave right now, before he gets here…_' Isabella felt the tug on her nerves as she spun herself to pace in the other direction, '_He probably won't show up anyway. Phineas wouldn't do that, he wouldn't leave a girl standing at the alter. I can go home now and pretend this never happened, change my name, dye my hair, and go stay with my mom's family in Mexico…_'

Hands clutched together as if in prayer, the young woman contemplated how exactly she could pull off being a blond. She turned once more to walk the opposite way when, to her horror, the back door of the church began to open.

"Eek!" Isabella jumped, her heart beat lapsing before her mind registered who it was walking through the door way. Ferb glanced at her with an odd amount of disinterest, taking in her wide, petrified eyes and pale sunken face as if he were inspecting a tool he needed for a project. He sat on a stone bench located near the door way and said nothing, casually propping up his foot against his knee as he took a small book out of a hidden pocket located inside his tuxedo jacket. The man appeared to be ignoring her as he began to silently read, his expression calm and collected as it had always been.

Isabella shifted to one foot awkwardly, glancing between Ferb and the ground as she wondered what he was expecting her to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but almost as if on cue, he shot his eyes up towards her, a finger pressed delicately to his lips in an unspoken order of silence.

She blinked at him, slightly taken back, until she saw him point to a nearby corner, a stern expression on his features as he spoke a single soft word, "Hide."

He watched her give him a blank stare before jerking her body towards the building, pausing only to glance at him once more in silent confirmation. Ferb gave her a curt nod and, once Isabella was safely hidden behind the side of the church, went back to his novel to enjoy a few sentences of literary artwork. His sparse seconds of peace were interrupted by the alarmed entrance of a young usher, who all but slammed opened the door as his eyes scanned the area, finally settling on the green haired lad.

"Have you seen her?" His voice was strained with anxiety, not that Ferb blamed him terribly. Having Adele as a cousin couldn't be an easy task, certainly not on her now crashed wedding day. He could only imagine the havoc the young bride was wreaking inside.

Still, Ferb had little sympathy for the young boy and shook his head without a moment's hesitation. It was times like this where he was glad he had built a silent reputation for himself; it was much easier to lie to a person when you didn't have to speak the actual words.

The usher sighed and glanced around once more before giving what Ferb assumed was meant to be an order, but came out as more of a desperate plea, "Well, keep an eye out for her, and if you see her, come get me, ok?"

The Fletcher's boy had already gone back to reading at this point, giving the usher a confident thumbs up without ever lifting his eyes from the page. Ferb could feel the boys glare on him, uncertain as to whether he could trust the stoic stranger, but was distracted when his name was called from somewhere down the hall. He left immediately, but still Isabella stayed tucked away in her hiding spot, making no sudden movements until a few good solid minutes had passed by undisturbed. She rounded the corner uncertainly, her eyes watching the door, half anticipating a mob to burst through it any second. When she found all was safe, she allowed herself to sigh and fall back against a nearby tree, rubbing her arms in an attempt to calm her frazzled nerves.

"This was a bad idea…" Isabella managed to whisper, her eyes glued to the cement pathway below her. She began to hug herself, as though physically keeping herself together would stop her from falling apart.

Ferb glanced to her curiously, and then returned to his book as if she had never spoken at all. He could sense her body begin to stiffen, altering the aura of the area as her dread began to give way to anger.

"Ferb…"

He ignored her.

"Ferb!" Her voice remained a whisper, yet the tone held a certain snap to it, as though she were lashing out a whip towards him. The man managed to drag himself away from his- apparently-terribly interesting story long enough to give her a tolerant stare.

Isabella met his eyes with a glare, her shoulders stiff as she spoke, "Why did you tell me to do that? Phineas probably _hates_ me now, and even if he doesn't, Adele will probably never want him to see me again!"

Ferb gave her an incredulous look, answering her in silence until the girl seemed to get the message and covered her face in shame.

"Argh! I know, I know…" Isabella let her body begin to slump against the trunk of the tree, barely one slide away from slipping to the ground, "If I had just told him to begin with, none of this would have even happened. I'm sorry, it's just…"

She lifted her head to look at her old time friend, desperation consuming her big, blue eyes, "I thought, maybe, if I told him, he'd come running over to me and we'd go off and live happily ever after, and then I saw the look on everyone's face when I started talking…"

A small, amused smile crawled on Ferb's lips, causing Isabella to flush in irritation and scold him, "Shut up, it wasn't funny, Ferb!"

He shrugged in reply, glimpsing towards the door before he settled his attention on the discouraged, dark haired brunette before him. She let out an exasperated breathe and looked up towards the clouds, watching as they drifted by without a care in the world.

'_Phineas would have said that cloud looked like a pirate ship…then we would have built a real one, only we would have given it wings, and we would have traveled in the clouds all day as the world's first sky pirates…' _Isabella felt her throat tighten at the thought. If she'd had one wish right then, it would have been to go back in time, back to when they were children. Perhaps he'd been dense back then when it came to romance, but, for all intent purposes, he'd been _hers_. Other girls had known to stay away, and the neighborhood boys didn't even bother to try and woo her, because as far as everyone was concerned, she and Phineas simply _belonged_ together.

'_Did you really never see it, Phineas?_'

The soft thump of a book closing brought Isabella out of her thoughts, straightening herself against the tree, wide eyed as she watched her companion begin to walk away from her.

"H-hey…Ferb, wait!" Isabella began to make a move for him as he rounded the corner away from her, "Ferb! I'm sorry, come back!"

"Isabella?"

She stopped in her tracks and spun around, thrilled and petrified all at once. With one hand gripping the churches door frame and another around the golden, brass door knob, Phineas stood staring at her in apprehension. His hair looked disheveled as if he'd been running, and his slightly heavy breathing led her to believe that the assumption was correct. He cast a fretful glance over his shoulder before stepping through the door way and closing it gently behind him, careful not to make a sound. As he walked over to her Isabella felt her heart sink into the depths of her stomach, her hands trembling much like they had in the church; his eyes, while concerned, looked agitated, and it was all directed at her.

"Isabella…" He began, his tone cautious, as if afraid his own emotions would get the best of him, "What are you doing?"

"Oh…uh…" Isabella began to wring her hands, glancing around before she pointed up the sky awkwardly, "I-I was just thinking, that cloud, it-it kind of looks like a pirate ship, don't you think? Yeah, I, um, was telling Ferb about it, but then he wondered off, so maybe if we go find him, we could…" She trailed off, looking to the ground, the cars, the corner where Ferb had disappeared behind; everywhere and anywhere that could avoid meeting those piercing blue eyes that focused in on her.

Phineas said nothing, but allowed his eyes to trail up to the cloud Isabella had mentioned. He stared for a minute, and despite himself, felt the gears of his mind begin to turn with innovative thoughts. For one small moment, he felt as though he had stepped into the past, into his parents' backyard, free to the glory of summer and eager to capture all of its wonders. The blueprints were already being sketched in his brain; he wondered if good old Paul was still in the wood business, maybe the man would even know where he and Ferb could get an industrial sized quantity of feathers, they would need an awful lot of them…

He shook his triangular head vigorously, "Wait-ok, no. We can't do this right now. Flying pirate ship though-make a note of it." Phineas seemed to be mumbling more to himself than to her, but he snapped his distressed gaze in her direction all the same, remaining serious.

"What I _meant_ was what are you doing out here…and what was _that _all about in the church? Isabella, I thought-I mean-we're friends, aren't we? Why, just, I don't understand…why would you want to ruin my wedding day?" When Isabella finally gathered the courage to glance into Phineas's face, she immediately regretted it. His eyes, those big, beautiful blue eyes she had always loved, looked so confused, and desperate, and…_hurt_.

'_I'm so sorry._' She wished she could have said the words out loud, but in that moment, speech seemed impossible for her. There was a part of her that wanted so badly to believe that this was all just a horrible nightmare and she'd wake up any moment. She'd be 10 years old again and hop out of bed to prance over to Phineas's house, and then cheerfully quote her infamous catch phrase. Phineas would smile at her and tell her the activity of the day, and all would be right with the world, if only she could _wake up_.

'_No_ _matter how many times I tell myself to wake up though, it isn't going to work._' Isabella took a deep breathe and straightened herself, trying to reach back into all those years of fireside girl training that had taught her so many life lessons, '_A fireside girl never backs down from an apology, no matter what." _

"Phineas." She watched him blink at her, taken back by her sudden burst of assurance, "I'm sorry."

Though still a bit surprised, Phineas's shoulders began to relax, clearly expecting the worse of their confrontation to be over. He breathed a sigh of relief at the thought; he had never truly argued with Isabella before, and didn't really want to start now.

"It's ok," He looked at her with a mixed expression of kindly pity and shame, "I'm sorry they dragged you out of the room like that; it really wasn't necessary. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Isabella gently shook her head as she stroked her arms, remembering the firm grip the two ushers had held her with not too long ago, "No, that's ok, they, um, they didn't hurt me…"

Phineas nodded in response, a small smile on his lips, but the gesture did nothing to hide the uncertainty that still remained in his eyes. The pair glanced away from each other, awkward silence falling into place. Phineas scuffed his shoe; Isabella fidgeted with the fabric of her dress. The red haired inventor darted his eyes up towards his long time neighbor and friend, thinking how to carefully place his words so as not to break the peace the two of them had just created.

"So…" He shoved his hands into the pockets of his grooms jacket, tittering on his feet in what he hoped was a relaxed body motion, "What did you need to tell me?"

"I…uh…" Isabella bit her bottom lip and glanced around feebly, half-heartedly wishing that Ferb, or even one of the Ushers, would swoop in and save her the task of confronting her greatest fear. When she brought her attention back to Phineas, she noticed him staring down at her hands worriedly, and only when she followed his gaze did she realize she had been nervously rubbing and wringing her hands the entire time. She quickly separated them and placed them behind her back, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"You see, I…I don't think…well-I mean-we've been friends for so long, and-I-I-uh, well, um, for awhile now-or, no, not that long-well, o-ok, maybe, but it's not like-um…you see-"

Her chaotic thoughts were interrupted when she felt a gentle hand land on her shoulder. Phineas's compassionate eyes were filled with concern as he pulled himself around her, placing his free hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards the stone bench Ferb had been reading on only moments ago. Isabella felt her heart skip more than just a beat as her mind focused in on the warm sensation of Phineas's large, strong hand pressed against her backside. He gently sat her down on the bench and began patting her hand, as though she were some poor old senile woman caught in the midst of an episode.

Isabella didn't see what Phineas saw in that moment. She didn't notice how her face and neck had grown a stressed, reddish rash of a color, or how her entire body trembled meekly under her friends' quiet stare. Holding her hand in his, Phineas felt as though he were handling a delicate porcelain doll that had suffered one to many cracks and, with the slightest bit of pressure, would crumble into a million broken shards. He was used to this sort of ordeal from Adele, but not Isabella-no, not his strong, independent Isabella. She was the girl who climbed mountains and trekked across desert terrains, the woman that could stand in front of a giant monster without the slightest flinch and single handedly bring him to his demise.

Phineas could handle emotional break downs from Adele, or Candace, or even the rare incidents from Ferb, but as he stroked the soft skin of Isabella hand, he was at a loss for words. With everyone else, he could look at the tears and the blotchy skin and see past the enormity they had built up around their problems; he could always see the simple, rational solution, and with gentle encouragement ease his friends back from their state of panic. Watching Isabella slowly dissolve in front of him, however, was a different thing entirely. It brought him back to the helpless state of a child watching their parent cry, an uncomfortable sensation if he'd ever felt one.

"Isabella." The tender whisper broke through Isabella's small engrossment of his touch, causing her to blink at him with wild eyes. Her tensed muscles began to loosen at the sight of Phineas's restless face, "…what's wrong?"

She felt trapped in his stare, her heart beat pounding in her ears. At last Isabella gathered the strength to drag her eyes away from his and trail down towards her hand, still receiving the occasional loving pat from the extravagant inventor. Her delicate fingers gripped the cloth of her dress, and she watched as Phineas's hands warily withdrew from her touch. His concern turned quickly to confusion, blinking as Isabella drew herself up in a stiff stance of defense. There was a fire in her eyes that caught him off guard, and he began to wonder if he hadn't imagined the trembling women he'd been coddling just moments ago.

"Phineas." Isabella spoke with the commanding authority of the natural leader she had been born to be. She met his curious gaze and refused to bulk, pronouncing each word with careful deliberation, "I don't think you should marry Adele."

She had expected more surprise from him, or confusion, or perhaps even anger, but all Isabella saw was traces of fatigue suddenly draw themselves upon Phineas's young face as he sighed, looking away from her as he ran a hand through his fire-kissed hair.

"Isabella, look," Phineas tried to give her a patient smile, his voice straining to remain positive, but she could still see how his shoulders seemed weighted under some kind of unknown pressure, "It's nice that you guys are all worried about me, but you don't have to be, honestly. I know that you don't always see eye to eye with Adele, but she's a nice person, really she is. Sure, she yells sometimes, and she can get a little excessive when things don't go the way she hoped, and maybe I don't see all of you as much as I used to because she likes to plan a lot of dates for us, and maybe Perry growls at her now and then, and…"

In the midst of his rambling, Phineas paused, his brows burrowing together in an expression that came off as slightly baffled. He shook his triangular head, as though he should shake off the thoughts that slinked into his mind, "Wait, ok, I'm not helping. I really need to be a little more like Ferb…" Phineas turned his attention back to his friend, his eyes urgently craving her understanding, "The point is, even with all those bad things, Adele has a lot of good qualities. She's always there for me when I need her, and she always believes in me, and she really thinks I'll make a difference in the world-"

'_Just like me._' The thought left a bitter taste in Isabella's mouth, and before she could stop it, detest laced words spewed out of her mouth, "Yeah, I know."

Phineas's mouth clamped shut just then, his eyes widening at her tone as his body instinctively leaned away. He watched her release the grip of her dress and sigh, jerking her head away from him.

"I know." Isabella repeated, her voice softening, "Adele…isn't a bad person. She can be really nice…that's not…that's not why I don't think you should marry her."

She could feel his eyes on her, scanning over each inch of her face as though she were some type of ancient code he was attempting to crack. Isabella knew that look-she had seen it many times as he poured himself over his blue prints, trying to diagnose why a certain mechanism failed to function properly. She could see it in her head clear as any summer's day; his mouth would be dipped ever so slightly into a frown, his red brows narrowed and forcing a thoughtful wrinkle to crease in the space between his eyes. His stare would flicker back and forth, trying to soak in every last detail until the picture was stained into his brained, and, if the problem was particularly tricky, he would begin nibbling the inner flesh of on his bottom lip.

Isabella normally found all of this ridiculously endearing, but found that the tables turned slightly when _she_ was the subject of his scrutiny. She'd been focusing so intently on ignoring his stare, in fact, that she nearly jumped when she heard his voice, passive and cautious as he continued to absorb her.

"Well…then why don't you?"

The loud pounding began to drum in her ears again. Isabella felt all of the blood in her body suddenly rush to her head, a reminiscent sensation of spending too long in the suns beating glare without shade. Her body swayed, and for a split second Isabella was horrified that she may actually faint. She snapped her eyes closed and tried to focus on sitting upright, but could only seem to think about the colorful spots that suddenly blinked into her vision. Large and small they appeared, flicking like round, rainbow-infused stars, twinkling just for her pleasure.

Phineas could only stare as Isabella gritted her teeth to keep herself together. The situation unfurled itself in front of him like an equation of sorts, and he began to silently inject information where it was needed, like so many a+b=c formula's he had deliberated before. He gathered all that he knew of Isabella and Adele and how they interacted, then calculated how they in turn interacted with _him_ individually and pluralized, and all he knew of life from first and second hand experience, and novels, and movies, and-

He stopped. A look of disbelief played with his features as his arms and legs began to go numb. It took Phineas a few moments to find his voice before he restated his question, the words quiet even to his own ears.

"Why don't you want me to marry Adele?"

Isabella opened her eyes into little slits, keeping her gaze firmly down casted. She licked her lips with every intention of speaking, but found the words caught in her throat, as tangible as small blocks jamming her gullet. Though she made a valiant attempt at swallowing them, they refused to go down, and so remained in their place, silencing her from any verbal communication.

"Isabella," Phineas pressed, his tone barely classified as an audible whisper, "Just say it."

The words had barely finished rolling off his tongue before he felt soft lips pushed against his, tender, and rough, and terrified, and imploring all at once. Familiar fingers were tangled in the untamed strands of his hair and digging into the fabric of his tuxedo, and then just as quickly as the lips had lunged on to him, they tried to retreat. Isabella had scarcely inched away when she felt Phineas crash his mouth into hers, her surprised mumble drowned against his lips. His hands gripped her too tight, and his mouth was pressed so firmly against hers that it hurt a little, but she melted against him regardless and allowed herself to indulge in every wonderful chemical of ecstasy her body released.

An eternity ticked by in mere seconds, and when the connection was broken, snapped by sudden gasp from Phineas, Isabella was left with a sensation so light she thought she was likely to float away. They remained close together, as though they were now tied by some invisible string, Phineas pouring his gaze down towards her.

"Isabella."

His voice was a whisper, but there was such intensity in the hushed pronunciation of her name that he might as well have screamed it across the lot. Isabella felt her eye lids droop, softening her gaze as she smiled up at him, apologetic but enthralled as his touch still tingled on her lips.

A smile twitched along the edges of Phineas's mouth before dropping at once. He shook his head slowly from side to side and gave a hard stare as he questioned her, his voice roughened as if it had been hiding in the back of his throat, "Why didn't you ever tell me before?"

"I thought-" Isabella paused and cleared her throat, her voice squeaking more than usual, "Uh, that is…I didn't know how you'd react, I didn't know if, you know, if you felt the same way."

He quirked an eye brow at her, and suddenly she felt like the one kid in class who answered '42' to the entirely wrong question, "I'm sorry, what?"

Isabella felt her cheeks flush out of embarrassment, and she immediately rose to her defense, "Well, you never _acted_ like it!"

"I never…" Phineas seemed to be having trouble wrapping his head around her words as he recited them, then rattled his brain as he gripped a patch of his own hair, "What are you-but I-you never-I mean, come on Isabella, wasn't it _obvious_?"

"Obvious!" Isabella couldn't contain the shout as she baulked, gaining a fervent hush from Phineas as he glanced towards the door. The pair all but glared at one another in incredulity until Isabella took a deep breathe, crossing her arms as she gave him an even stare.

"Ok then, if you were so _obvious, _how come _you_ never told _me_?"

He gave her another grimace as she appeared to miss a painfully large part of the picture, "Think about it. Why wouldn't I tell you?"

When she gave him no answer, Phineas let out a wounded up breath, and Isabella could swear she saw a blush start to creep into his cheeks as he spoke, "Ever since we were kids, you were adorable, and fun, and everyone _liked_ you, and I was…I-I was _shorter_ than you, ok? By _a lot_, and I tried to make these stupid shoes but they were kind of ridiculous and then there was the nutrition shake but Candace drank it and it made her a giant so obviously that was unstable. Then we got older and I started to out grow you, b-but my nose was big and my head was weird and so many other guys talked about you _all the time_ and I thought we'd been friends for so long that the idea of us probably never even crossed your mind and I was OK with that but now you had to come along and just-just-just…!"

Isabella knew she probably looked a bit stupid as she sat slack jawed and saucer eyed, but every word she heard seemed more preposterous than the last. Phineas's cheeks were burning red as he rambled, and there was an odd insecurity etched into him that she had never known existed.

It was too much. Before he could continue, Isabella snapped at him, grabbing hold of his shoulders as she frowned up at him, "Phineas!"

He stopped, but her hold on him didn't ease up as she began to lecture him, her usually sweet voice stern as she spoke, "That _is_ who you are, right? Phineas Flynn? 'Cause the one that I know is amazing and he knows it, and he would never let stupid things like _height_ or _noses_ stop him from doing anything!"

"I know." The pain of embarrassment was evident on his face as Phineas glimpsed to the ground, his typically happy expression contorted as he replied, "It's just different with you."

The two companions sat in silence then, unsure of where to go from such a stopping point. Isabella took a sudden interest in her lap as Phineas began to study the small sparkling flecks in the stone bench they sat upon. She dared a look in his direction and examined him, his shoulders hunched as if to protect himself and the stain on his cheeks still fading from view. Isabella couldn't fight the smile that began to extend upon her lips, and she leaned over to playfully nudge him with her shoulder.

"Hey." He looked up at her, his eyes open and questioning, and Isabella felt her own cheeks start to burn the lightest pink as she continued, "You know…I've always been kind of insecure about my eye brows…or, well, lack-there-of."

Phineas's own distinguishable eye brows rose in surprise, taking in her confession before he let a small grin break loose, his eyes giving off the slightest hint of a playful glimmer, "…yeah? Well, in that case, I guess we're even."

She punched him in the shoulder, and Phineas pretended to _pretend_ that it didn't hurt. The pair silently sat next to one another, Isabella's fingers tentatively hooking his until it became a small game, their hands turning and twisting against one another's as one tried to catch the other, gently tracing the lines of their palms as they passed, much like a dance that was waltzed in secret. At first, Phineas looked down at the sweet play with fond eyes, but as their silent orchestra drew to a close, so did the soft light that had been glowing from his gaze. He wouldn't look at Isabella's curious face as he gently tugged his hand away, but instead focused his attention on the church in front of him. The building itself seemed to glower at him, towering over his lanky form as it hissed reality back into his world. It seemed to rasp to him that play time was for children, and he was a man well grown, with responsibilities to attend to. His family was awaiting his return; his guests were owed an apology, and his fiancé could be very well still be standing at the alter, staring at the open church door with mortified eyes.

"…you should have just told me before, Isabella." Phineas muttered under his breathe as he rose to his feet, his movements slow and struggled as though the air had become water and pushed against him with every step.

Isabella looked up at him, every part of her twisting together as she watched him stand, "Well, I…I did now."

"Yeah, _now_, when I'm about to legally bound myself to someone else until the day I die. Danville doesn't practice polygamy, you know."

Isabella hadn't seen Phineas angry very often during their long friendship, and she wouldn't have necessarily have said he was angry right in that moment, but his face was drawn closed with an emotional wall and every inch of him appeared tense. She remembered the pleasure of his lips touching hers and their hands intertwining, and she wasn't sure she could survive seeing him walk away now that she'd had a small taste of what could be.

"You still have a choice, though!" Phineas shot her a look of skepticism as she blurted out at him, desperately trying to clutch to the moment that had just shared, "You didn't say your vows, so you don't _have_ to do anything, right?"

"I wasn't doing it because I _had_ to, Isabella. I _wanted_ to." As he mumbled the words, Phineas looked into the face of his long time friend, and instantly wished he hadn't. Her face slowly began to pale and her eyes tilted in a permanent display of wreckage, her little cracks finally breaking and falling into pieces before him. He wished that he had the means to put her back together, but as he began to conjure up a plan, Adele's words whispered to his mind.

'_You can't fix this, Phineas.' _

"No." The sound of his voice, sad and fruitless, was incoherent as he spoke, "No, I can't."

"What?" Isabella was trying, without much success, to inconspicuously wipe the moisture growing in her eyes as she tilted her head up at him. There was a child-like essence to her as she stared, the small, 10-year-old girl breaking through the woman she'd tried so hard to become. Though her adult mind insisted to accept the situation with quiet dignity, Isabella's young heart still screamed to be heard, begged and reached out as far as her little fingers could stretch towards her desires. There was still a small, faint little glimmer of hope in her infatuated dreams that Phineas would still turn around and run away with her, that he would forget Adele with the flip of a switch and simply engorge himself with being _hers._ They would leave the church and all who waited within it, and find a place far away that they could lay next to one another, dreaming of glorious adventures and wonders yet to be unlocked.

Phineas could see her, the little girl he used to spend his days with, her pink bow perched perkily atop her cute little head, and as he stared he could feel the 10-year-old boy inside of him start to stir. This was _his_ Isabella, and she would always be his, and he didn't want to share her with anyone. The boy in him thought that maybe he could fix all of this after all; he could take the time machine and go back before he met Adele, and warn himself that a simple kiss was all it would take to be with Isabella instead. Just one kiss, and he could spend the rest of his days next to the girl he adored, and they could build together and laugh together and love together.

As tempting as the idea sounded, it was a child's solution, not a man's. He had given so much of his heart to Adele and in turn had taken pieces from her, they'd shared memories he didn't really want to forget, and to simply erase her from his past because he had a new opportunity presented to him just didn't seem fair.

'_That, and there's that whole time space continuum thing…_' Phineas mused to himself, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced between the door and the bench.

He heard the small sound of a throat being cleared, and turned his attention back to Isabella. She'd straightened her shoulders and become a young adult again; an empty shell of hope.

"Well…?" She let her sentence trail off. There was no real need to finish it, the question on her tongue loomed over the two of them well enough as it was. Her moist eyes were conditioned to look collected, but Phineas could tell she was no longer truly looking at him. She'd distanced herself to a place where she could no longer be touched as a means to protect herself, and even as she met his eyes, she was looking past him, already preparing to accept rejection and begin picking up all of her broken pieces that would be left behind.

Phineas wasn't entirely sure that was how he wanted things to play out, though. Every molecule in his body was still buzzing from the delightful sensation of Isabella's kiss and the touch of her hand, and there was a large part of him that wanted nothing more than indulge in his own pleasure. He remembered Adele though, recalled the way she snuggled against his chest at night and would finally let her tense shoulders from the day ease down, as if all it took was being in his arms to be safe from everything. He remembered her smile, her laugh, and the way she would quietly admit all of her secrets to him when no one else was around. Phineas could almost feel her hand in his, holding on to him tightly as she looked up with those big, hopeful eyes, like he was her hero about to make everything right with the world.

"Well…" He began slowly, his expression a tattered mirror of his thoughts, "That-I mean…yeah, I…I need to go think."

Isabella stared at him with mixed emotions, an odd combination of shock and the slightest hint optimism evident in her blue eyes. The hope was quickly snuffed, however, before its flame could get too high.

'_He's only going to think about it. That doesn't really mean anything yet._' She reminded herself, taking a deep breathe to calm her nerves.

With as much strength as she could muster, she gathered up a smile, praying that she didn't appear too eager as she nodded her head towards him, "Oh-um-yeah, no, that's cool. Think about it, if you want. I-uh-I think maybe I should head home though, since, well…"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Phineas felt his muscles relax as he watched Isabella get up from the bench, silently thanking her for not pushing him towards a decision right away.

'_Isabella would never do that._' He mused to himself as she awkwardly gathered her things, '_She's always just let me be me, in my own time…_'

"Ok, well, I'll be home later if…I mean, I _might_ be home later, but don't let that stop you from, you know, coming over if you want." As Isabella began a small ramble on whether or not he should call her or come over, or if she should plan on contacting _him_, Phineas felt a small smile gather on his lips. He probably shouldn't have, but it seemed that he just couldn't help it as he wrapped his arms around his friend and held her close to him, hugging her with all his might like they used to do as children.

"Thanks, Isabella."

Isabella didn't respond, but instead let herself melt into the embrace, a dopey smile on her face as returned his hug. When Phineas finally pulled away, they both gave a nervous chuckle and exchanged awkward grins before waving farewell, Isabella resisting the urge to glance back at him with every step away she took.

Phineas watched her pull out of the church's parking lot and drive off, giving her another small wave as she did so, before releasing a heavy sigh that had built up in his chest. He looked back towards the church with determination and marched through the door way with as much confidence as he could muster. With every step he took he weighed his options and tried to determine what would be best, for him and all others involved. He wanted desperately to talk things out with Ferb, or even his father, but when he passed by the alter room he noticed that things between his and Adele's family were still a bit heated. Angry mutters filled the room to the high ceilings, and he watched as the woman who was going to be his mother-in-law shot looks of daggers towards Candace, who in turn scowled at her as she sat low in her pew with arms crossed. His father and Jeremy still stood in the middle of the aisle, acting as a sort of human barrier between the two crowds, calming everyone down with sensible words whenever cross language was spat across the room.

He didn't see Adele, though. As much as he craned his neck to look through the doors small opening, his bride couldn't seem to be found anywhere within the room. Phineas gave a small breathe of relief; Adele was always easier to deal with when she wasn't in front of a large crowd. With only the slightest smidgen of guilt, he left his father and Jeremy to continue crowd control as he went on strolling down the church's hallway, taking slow, deliberate strides.

So many memories were filling Phineas's mind at that moment. He recalled days of sitting next to Adele in the schools cafeteria, long before they had started dating, and creating odd, funny doodles with her as a way to communicate. Then of course there was the history project they did together, where they had gone to the library to combine the data they had gathered from the top ten most historical buildings in Danville. They had stayed for hours getting their project ready, and when it was finally finished, the outside world had become pitch black and bitter cold. Phineas had insisted that the two of them make a game out of it, racing home as the running would keep them both warm. It had been working wonderfully, until Adele ran out of breathe and had to stop for a short break. Phineas, naturally, couldn't leave her alone, but he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of standing still in the cold, either. He convinced Adele to climb up on his back so they could continue piggy-back style, and hadn't thought much of how he could feel her heart pounding against him.

Phineas slowed to a stop in the hallway, a hand rising to rub the back of his neck, almost able to feel Adele's warm breathe from that night. That had been moment where, after only being a few blocks away from Adele's home, he had felt her lips place a tender kiss on his freezing ear. Time itself seemed to have stopped in that instant, and suddenly the wind didn't feel so cold anymore. With a blush that had looked adorable on her normally guarded face, Adele had explained to him that she had feelings for him deeper than friendship, and wanted them to be returned.

It wasn't as though he'd forgotten about Isabella; in truth, he hadn't at all. He still got strange tingles whenever she standing just a little too close to him, but in that moment with Adele, her heart being handed to him so openly, he suddenly thought that maybe there was something to that 'fate' theory his sister had always raved about so often. Maybe, just perhaps, there really was a designated person for each man and woman, and there was a possibility that Isabella was only meant to be his friend, and that _Adele_ was meant to be his 'person'.

Phineas wasn't too sure about it at first, but as time went on, he began to believe that all the pieces had fallen into place. Adele included all that research had proven a girlfriend should be; she was kind to him, did certain things if only to please him, encouraged his dreams, and appealed to him physically to boot. She was difficult at times, but from what he'd studied on the subject of relationships, that was actually fairly common behavior from females. He wasn't sure _why_ it was acceptable, but in every movie or novel he investigated, a woman was able to get away with even the most outrageous behavior, and was forgiven at the end of it all. The 'good' men that he had observed were portrayed as being patient and understanding even during the most frantic emotional outbreaks, and treated their female counterparts' erratic behavior lightly, almost like a small game they played privately amongst themselves.

As his thoughts dwelled on the subject, Phineas began to think of Isabella again. She had her moments to, he realized, that she would seem unnecessarily angry with a situation, and would choose odd ways of handling it. Yet it was different from Adele, it was somehow more controlled, more independent. He couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

Phineas sighed, grabbing a fistful of his red hair as he leaned against the wall in thought. Isabella had so many positive attributes, but even as he counted them off, he was still drawn back to his days with Adele, of the high emotional drive the two shared. He remembered days of loud laughter and quiet fighting, of hurt tears and long kisses.

His blue eyes fogged as he stared at the small, white glare of light on his dress shoes. There were so many moments in his past that belong to her, the petite French girl who had intertwined her life with his. Of all the recollections spinning out among his head though, there was one that he held on to extra tightly, and it made him wonder if he could truly ever leave Adele behind him.

He could close his eyes and be back to that weekend where Adele's parents had left town, and allowed their youngest daughter the privilege of staying home unsupervised. Phineas could still feel the nervous twist in his chest when he'd packed a small bag of clothes to take over to his girlfriends, and he never entirely got over the guilt of somewhat lying to his mother about where he'd be spending the night. It was wrong, he had known that, but the poor girl was scared to be home alone, and as her boyfriend it was his job to protect her. Or, in the very least, that's what he had told himself at the time.

What a weekend it had been. Adele had gone through so much trouble to cook a little dinner for the two of them, they had watched a movie, and overall had a cozy little evening, but she'd seemed to anxious the entire time. Phineas had a small hunch as to way, but he'd mainly discarded it, focusing instead on their pleasantries until the awkward elephant in the room could no longer be ignored. They were a romantic couple, alone in a home, and he would need a place to sleep for the night. So the question came to be; did he act as a gentleman and insist on the couch, or did he dare crawl into bed along side her?

Phineas had dared. The two of them had tried to act so casual about it, but flinched whenever they happened to bump a leg next to their partner, or touch a spot that was, mostly, unintentional under the covers. There was so much tension between the two of them, but Phineas couldn't help but think that it was _exciting_ as well. He'd kissed her goodnight and was fine to leave it at that, but she'd given him another, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and suddenly he was on top of her and his thoughts had turned murky…but 'it' hadn't happened that night. They weren't prepared-they had no means of protection-and even though everything had felt so wonderful, the risk was too great. Still, they'd left the house at only an hour till midnight, and like the sleekest spies had made their way down to the store for soda pop that they suddenly had a craving for. They picked out their snacks, made their way around the store, and just happened to pass a certain aisle precisely dedicated to family planning.

There weren't many times when Phineas felt too young to do something, but buying his first means of sexual protection certainly borderland the sentiment. The couple could barely glance at each other as they made their way to the cashier, and when the old woman behind the counter finally rang up their items, Phineas could feel the shame burning in his cheeks.

Yet she hadn't even questioned his age, or given him a look of doubt as she had bagged his items and kindly sent him on his way. When Phineas and Adele had exited the store, they had finally looked at each other, and busted out into giggles. They'd raced to the car, and when they finally retuned back to Adele's house, the thick tension that had been in the bedroom before was hardly even noticeable, and they'd slept innocently and soundly together.

When he woke up the following morning, the room was bathed in soft early morning light, and beyond the window a spring shower cleansed the outside world. Phineas had only meant to give Adele a simple kiss good morning, but unlike the night before, something felt so right in that instant, so-as his girlfriend would have put it-_perfect_. Sure, it had also been awkward, and messy, and it took them a few tries to really understand how to go about it, but despite all of the embarrassing inexperience between them, it had been the most wonderful expression of love that Phineas had ever been apart of. The after-math had been just as splendid, with Adele's soft skin resting against his as she slept on his chest, the covers draping over her in such a way that it gave him a lovely view of her curves. In that moment, lying in bed with one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever known, tired but satisfied, he thought that life had never felt so good, so complete.

Phineas attempted to push down a growing lump in his throat as he thought about it all. Adele had been his first, and he'd been so ready to accept her as his last. In spite of everything, his terrible marriage pressures and Isabella's sudden love confession, he wanted nothing more in that instant than to go back to that morning, when his life had made sense.

'_What do I do now?_' Phineas desperately reached inside of himself, trying to pull an answer as he shoved his hands in his pockets and dragged his feet down the hall once more, '_What's the right thing?_'

Long before he was ready, he was at the door he knew had been dedicating to the bride and maids. His long fingers wrapped around the door knob, but refused to turn it. Instead, his head resting against the door, eyes closed as his heart pounded. He strained his ears to ear any sort of noise, but found there was nothing; no sobs, no sniffles, not even the shuffle of movement within the room. Perhaps Adele wasn't in there, after all.

Phineas was wrong, of course; he opened the door to find his bride sprawled along a one armed lounge couch, her veil tossed aside to the ground and her shoes barely dangling from her feet. Her eyes were closed and strangely serene, her chest rising and falling slowly with the passing of seconds. Phineas felt his shoulders begin to relax as he stepped into the room and quietly shut the door behind him, grateful for his timing.

Adele's behavior may have always been a bit intense, but in the very least it had a solid pattern to it. She would get angry, she would weep, her chest would heave and there was a possibility of her picking up the closest thing in her reach and throwing it at the wall; but then, at the end of it, she would cry herself dry, and fall into an exhausted sleep. She was always at her most sensible at that point, after having emptied herself of all her wild emotions, and would normally apologize for her behavior at that stage of the game.

Now, crossing the room and crouching next to Adele's sleeping form, Phineas wondered if it should be him apologizing to her. Resting his hands on his bended knees, he was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice Adele's eyes slowly begin to open, looking at him with an empty glaze as she met his stare.

"…hi." Phineas whispered softly, his expression daunted, but managing a smile of sorts all the same.

Adele said nothing, but continued to drill her ghost of a stare into him before pushing herself up into a sitting position. She began to smooth her hair as she spoke, flat-toned and numb, "Hi."

The pair sat in stale silence; Phineas still crouching low to the ground, Adele focusing her attention on minute details such as the wrinkles of her dress. Taking a deep breathe, the boy looked up at her, his brain working overtime to figure out what to say that could possibly make everything better.

"Adele, I-" Her look stopped him. There were still stains on her cheeks from where she'd been crying, and Phineas had never seen her eyes look quite so desolate before. He gathered up his strength and went on, his voice strained as he resisted the urge to wrap her in his arms, "…I-I'm sorry, Adele."

"Why?" There was no anger in her voice that he could detect, but then again, Adele's tone seemed to lack traces of any emotion at that point, "You did what you felt was right, didn't you?"

"I…" Phineas felt that darn lump in his throat again, and pushed it down, "I just couldn't leave her like that, Adele. She's my friend…you know…?"

"I know."

He felt as though a large boulder had plummeted on top of him. The way she had whispered her words, so hushed and delicate, made him feel as if she did know; know everything, in fact.

It took him a few moments to realize that she was patting a space on the couch next to her for him to sit. He obliged, but kept his eyes away from her, staring at his hands as his brain tried to process everything at once.

"I don't want-" Phineas stopped, not sure how to complete his sentence. His hands became fists and his thoughts were screaming at him to just say what it was that he wanted so desperately to say. The words were too unknown though, too frightening, and once he said them, he could never take them back.

"We can fix this." He offered meekly, his fists relaxing as he began to fiddle with his fingers, "I..I know we can, we just have to…h-have to…"

"Phineas." He paused as she spoke, and he could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't have the courage to meet them, "I told you before…you can't…we can't."

"Y-yes we can." Phineas felt his jaw set in place, shaking inside as he tried to remain composed, "There's a way to, there has to be. We could…we could talk to someone about it, or attend one of those seminars they have downtown, or-or we could just leave-get some fresh air-that could be all we need-I could make a plane-or a hot air balloon-or a train, whatever, and we could-we-we could…"

There was tightness in his chest as Phineas continued to scramble for ideas, lost and desperately clinging to the cracks in his foundation. His rambling ended in a mumble, indistinguishable words as his eyes spread flickered from one side to the next, looking for a solution and finding nothing.

Adele was quiet as he prattled on, and for a moment, a flicker of light glowed on her face, her tone cautious as she spoke, "Perhaps...we could…"

She stopped when Phineas finally glanced up to her, distressed and indecisive. Her heart lurched forward for a moment, and her hand instinctively went to cover her chest, as if she could somehow steady the pain.

Adele shook her head lightly and murmured, looking away from him, "Well…you know how time flies…yesterday our lives were perfect, but I have heard it said…that sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, and that's simply a fact we must accept…"

"No." Phineas stated firmly, his world quaking before him as she spoke. He grabbed her arms and forced her to look at him, the words spilling out of him even as his heart whispered that she right, "No, no, no! I promised you, I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt, I said that, and-and I won't! I won't do it! I'll make this all better and we can be happy, right? …right?"

"Phineas…" For a moment, it seemed as though Adele was going to break down, her hands covering her face as her body threatened to burst into tears once more. She had cried for so, so long now though. It felt as though she'd been crying for years, and now, all she wanted was rest.

"I-" She stopped herself. She wanted to tell him that she loved him so badly, wanted to let him take her in his arms and try to wave away all her problems, but in the end Adele knew that it was all only temporary. He could tell her that he loved her all he wanted, and he could make every promise in the world to her, but the fact still remained that she was second. Only second, forever second. Somehow, all of it just didn't seem fair, because he'd always been first to _her_, and he'd always told her that no one would ever come between them.

In that moment, Adele couldn't understand why she didn't hate Isabella. She wanted to, and she felt she was very justified to do so, but when it came right down to it, the emotion just wasn't there. Isabella had crashed in to her special day, the day where her happiness was about to be secured, and she'd pointed a finger and demanded that it all be taken away; but the raven haired girl wasn't the one who left her standing at the alter, family and friends staring, alone and crying. _Isabella_ wasn't the one who ignored her begs to stay; she wasn't the one who broke her promise and then tried to act as if it could somehow be glued back together.

'_Did you ever __**really**__ love me? Even once?_' She wanted to ask the question so badly it nearly made her tremble, but she stopped and collected herself. What did she need of empty answers anyhow; it had been shown to her already.

"Never mind." Adele spat the word just a bit too quickly, causing Phineas to flinch slightly in surprise. She evened her tone and continued, her eyes hazing over as she forced herself to lock her stare with that of the man she had once trusted above all others, "Don't worry about your promise, just…never mind. I'll find someone like you, and maybe they'll make me happy, so just-forget it. I'll be fine."

Phineas's expression stared at her like a blank, pale void. If she didn't know better, she would have thought his heart was breaking in front of her, but that couldn't be; after all, how could a heart break in her hands if she had never truly held it to begin with?

"Adele-" His voice was cracking, and it suddenly occurred to Adele that if he were to fall apart now in front of her, all would be lost. She'd give in and accept his false promises, and they'd be happy for a time, only to have him inevitably abandon her again.

Adele didn't think she could live through that pain, not again, not ever again.

She more or less jumped to her feet and pulled him up from the couch, coaxing-or pushing rather-Phineas out the door as she let her frantic voice fill the room, strained with the emotion she refused to let herself feel, "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's much I have to attend to, so you best be going."

Phineas tried to push against her, but found his body had gone numb and weak, and when he was pushed outside the door all he could do was gawk open-mouthed and red eyed at her, his pain barely contained under his control.

"No-" He rebuked meekly, reaching a hand towards her, but stopped when he saw her reach for the door and give him one last, hard look.

"I wish nothing but the best for you two, Phineas, just…don't forget me…ok?"

She was going to cry again, and Phineas was powerless to do anything about it. He tried to step forward, but as he did so she shut the door, causing him to fall against it as he called out her name in a last ditch effort. No matter how much he knocked, or tried to turn the now locked door knob, she wouldn't open the door, or even respond to his pleas. He must have said please a million times, but she didn't so much as squeak at him. It was as if she couldn't even hear him, as if he wasn't even there.

Finally, he did the unthinkable, and let his hand fall from the door. Stepping back, he stared at the door and realized he had no choice; he had to give up. There was nothing more he could do.

Phineas went for a long, quiet drive after that. He should have gone to his family first and let them know what had happened, but seeing their faces along with Adele's family seemed too much to bear at the moment. He sent his brother a message to relay back to everyone else, and apologized in advance. He was replied with only a simple "Ok", but somehow that was all he needed. His brother would take care of clean up matters with the guests, and Phineas would keep driving, and driving, until long after the sun had set.

He didn't have in real destination in mind, but somehow he ended up in front of his house. His _new_ house. The one that he had spent all last week moving things into but hadn't even slept in yet, all because Adele wanted their first night in their new home to be together as husband and wife.

As Phineas pulled into the driveway, he couldn't help but curse himself for driving there, of all places in Danville.

He sat in his car for what seemed like an eternity before he finally stepped out and made his way to the front door. It was such a beautiful house. He'd spent so long looking for it along side Adele; for the old fashioned little porch and the quaint little balcony attached to the master bedroom, for the fireplace that they would sit beside late at night and read by the faint glow of flames.

Numbly, he unlocked the door, and carelessly dumped his coat on the floor as he walked in. Everything was all set up for the two of them; all the furniture had been moved and positioned just so, all items unpacked and placed; everything ready for Phineas and Adele to begin their new lives together.

He plopped himself down at the breakfast nook counter, trying to ignore the roses he had set up only this morning as they mocked him from their crystal vase. Phineas rested his head in his hands, and stared down at the black granite counter top beneath him.

None of this was right. He was supposed to enter this house with Adele bridal style in his arms as they would giggle and kiss, then fall down to the living room floor and never even make it to the bedroom for the start of their honeymoon.

This was all supposed to be a grand beginning; not an end.

Phineas was always a fairly compassionate boy, but he was a boy none-the-less, and had never felt comfortable with the idea of crying. His father and mother constantly insisted that it was a natural human response, but it had always seemed like more of a waste of time to him. All that effort spend crying could be spent trying to fix whatever was making one sad, that had always been his belief.

He couldn't fix this though. Never before had he struggled against accepting something so much. Sitting in his new home, alone and broken, he wondered where it had all gone so wrong, and without warning, he began to cry. It was soft at first, but it grew, until he was sobbing and gasping, his entire body seeming to shake under the pressure of it all, not even bothering to wipe the liquids from his face. Not once in his life had he cried so hard before, and it seemed as though no living human being had ever felt so much pain.

Unbeknownst to him though, as Phineas continued to cry into his hands, Adele was miles and miles away in a house across town, laying herself down to bed, and weeping and hurting alongside him.

It wasn't until hours later that mercy finally came and their bodies, at long last, broke down and fell into a deadened, dreamless sleep.

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><p>Ok, so this took longer than a week.<p>

It's 16-pages long though, so...at least there's that.

More song inspiration is maybe- maybe not- so obvious.

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	3. Somebody that I used to know-Part 1

"Hey, maybe we should head back inside." The air felt raw against his throat as Phineas breathed in the cold night. He bundled his thick, burly coat closer to his body, savoring the heat as he stared at his companion. It had been hours now and, while being outside had been enjoyable at first, he was more than ready to allow his skin to warm itself next to the fireplace in the cabin behind them.

"No! Just a little longer, please?" Large green eyes pleaded with him, giving off a look of desperation before crinkling along with the edges of a smile, "If you're cold, I'll hold you. Come here."

He felt his heart rate quicken, but stayed put, pulling his coat ever tighter, "I-I'm not cold. It's just been awhile now, don't you think? We should go back inside…"

"I like it out here." Phineas wasn't sure he heard the girl correctly, her faint voice barely carrying over the wind, "Just a little longer…don't leave…please, Phineas?"

For a moment, the frost bite that had been gnawing at his finger tips seemed to vanish. Body temperature was the least of Phineas's concerns as he was swept up in some sort of mild enchantment, unable to look away from the pretty little picture before him. Small flakes from the softly falling snow around them were caught in the tangles of his companions auburn curls, her cheeks flushed from the cold; and her trim little lips, usually so plush and pink and kissable, had faded to a blue tinted former glory with small cracks that seemed to grow the more her mouth trembled. He wondered, mildly, if they felt cold to the touch, and if so, how much? Perhaps, in theory, if he was to press his lips to them, the warmth of the contact would slowly start to return their loss of color, and the combined moisture from both breathes would soften the tender, dried skin.

"Ok." He found himself yielding before stop it, his every snow-littered step towards her causing a sharp, crisp crunch that seemed too loud in the quiet night. She rewarded him with a smile and wrapped a single arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her as she buried her face in his chest, grabbing a handful of his coat as though it were a part of him.

"You know what?" She murmured into the cloth, cold and slightly damp against her cheek.

"What?" Phineas looked down at her curiously, covering her as much as he could with the width of his arms. She lifted her head and looked at him tenderly, her eyes mild and unguarded.

"I'm happy."

The statement seemed slightly odd to him; of course she was happy, how was that different from any other time, any other day? Still, he smiled at her kindly, and playfully poked at her as he teased, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded at him, her lips returning his smile, "So happy, I could die."

"I suggest not doing that." Phineas laughed into her hair as he gave her forehead a kiss, "I think you dying would be very detrimental to this relationship."

His companion giggled alongside him, and the sight of it was simply too much. He pulled her into a kiss, and was pleased to find his hypothesis was correct as her lips seemed to melt against him. Her chilled hands slipped under his coat and pressed up against his back, and while he shivered at the touch, it was welcomed all the same. It occurred to him suddenly that there was someone waiting for him inside, but then he felt a tug, and he was stumbling along in the snow with his companion, their kiss broken only by the small bouts of laughter that would escape their lips. They were making their way farther from the cabin, and Phineas once more thought that it would be best to go back inside, but he shot the idea down almost at once. Just a little longer outside couldn't hurt, he reasoned, as he stabilized himself against the trunk of a tree, moist lips trailing the edges of his mouth.

'_Just a__little longer._' He thought to himself, and pulled her closer to him.

Then, with a harsh snap of reality, he woke up.

It felt awkward; groggily awakening in a warm bed alone when just seconds ago he was outside, freezing and strangely elated. Phineas ran a hand through his messy mop of hair as he sat up, and felt a familiar small bundle of coarse fur rub up against his side. There was a soft chatter as his platypus snuggled up against him, and it caused him to crack a smile as he scratched the head of his favorite semi-aquatic mammal.

"Oh, there you are, Perry. Where'd you go last night? I was worried."

His pet only gurgled in response, leaving Phineas to invent his own reasoning for the disappearance, "Still exploring the new house, I see. I guess there's a lot to see here for just one little platypus. You know what Perry? You do a lot more than people give you credit for."

The blue mammal gave him a slow blink of his unfocused eyes and waddled off the bed towards his water bowl, lapping up some refreshing liquid as his owner watched him with child-like fascination.

Giving a small stretch of his long arms, Phineas swung his legs over the bed, forcing him to get up, "Yeah, water probably isn't a bad idea, buddy."

He made it to the kitchen well enough, but as he reached up and grabbed a glass for his drink, Phineas couldn't help but think once more how strange his life had become. It had been a few months now since, as his brother put it, the "incident" occurred. Ferb had offered many times for Phineas to come stay with him, and the red head had taken his brother up on the offer a few instances, but some invisible pull kept drawing him back to his bitter-sweet love nest. It was self-torture, he knew; but a small part of him felt that he deserved the pain, in some sort of odd, twisted way.

It had been hard at first, Phineas reflected as he watched the faucet water fill his clear glass. Sleeping had been the most difficult; either he awoke in random moments of the night, the emotional ache so intense it felt like a physical pain in his chest, or he felt so out of tune with the world that he couldn't escape the deep sleep that overcame him. Those were the worst, to be sure. Entire mornings, once even an entire day, wasted away in bed with foggy dreams that left him feeling empty. Those were hours of his life that could never be returned and the thought of it left a detestable taste in his mouth.

He took a sip of his water, trying to wash the tang of bad memories down his throat. Things were getting better at least, or so Phineas reasoned with himself. Just the other day he had joined his family for a small dinner at his parents house, and it'd been quite enjoyable; in fact, he'd even gotten some inventing done. The Ferb-O-Matic Dessert Dispenser, they'd called it. Candace had been helping carry some pies to the table when, much to her surprise, her newly pregnant belly gave off a kick for the first time. She'd been so startled that she had dropped the carefully made pastries on the floor, and while Phineas was more than happy to feel the little thump from within his sisters swollen stomach, he _had _been looking awfully forward to that pie.

So, while his mother ran to the store to get more ingredients, he and his brother deemed it down-right silly to wait another few set of hours to enjoy dessert, and set to work at once. Their creations were not anywhere near their mother's masterpieces, to be quite honest, but they were satisifying enough, and their mother did seem pleased at not having to bake anymore once she returned home. Poor Candace had gotten awfully excited about the whole thing, and for a moment Jeremy had worried that she would go into premature labor if Linda didn't come back to see the invention. Phineas and Ferb had been more than happy to show it to the woman, however when she returned, the entire machine had mysteriously vanished from the backyard. As he thought about it, Phineas realized that, curiously enough, a new bakery shop had opened up later that day, owned by Danville's lucky farmer and his wife. What a funny coincidence.

Phineas shook his head with a smile and realized that the only bad part about that day had been the bit of stress involved of avoiding the Garcia-Shapiro family. He had not actually spoken to Isabella since he last saw her at the wedding; a word or two to let her know he was still alive didn't really count as conversation. In truth, he had been a little upset with her when the initial high of the day's intense emotions had worn off. If she'd only let her feelings be known to him sooner, or if she'd only kept the darn things to _herself_, he could have been living a different, likely more pleasant life at the moment.

'_I could have been married, and be happily living with Adele...right?"_ The questionable thought made Phineas lower his glass and sigh, leaning against the countertop near his sink. A part of him was thankful to Isabella-even if she went about the execution of her confession very poorly, perhaps it was better to have everything out in the open. His family and friends expressed quiet relief at his decision not to become a husband, and that did speak some volume. Looking back on everything, he could see why. The relationship he had with Adele had been a bit more problematic than he'd initially realized, and Phineas had to admit that in a way he was glad that the whole taxing ordeal was over.

It still hurt, though. Every ounce of the entire situation still stung, even as he stood in the kitchen months after the fact, the resulting sore still throbbed in his chest. Once more, despite everything, he _missed_ _her_. He missed hearing her voice, missed holding her before falling asleep, a part of him even missed calming her down after her small episodes; Phineas simply missed Adele.

What was worse was that for all his longing, he couldn't even talk to the girl. He'd tried calling her to no avail; at first the phone would merely ring and ring, and he'd leave a message or two pleading with her to answer. Apparently he didn't beg nearly well enough though. The few items of true importance that Adele had in the house were collected by her friends, and shortly afterword her phone number was changed. The situation was clear enough to comprehend; Phineas had been given his chance with her, fouled it up beyond repair, and had been promptly dismissed from her life with the clean cut of a business transaction.

The realization hadn't been an easy thing to swallow, but he managed to cram it down all the same. It had taken some time, but Phineas had finally accepted the loss of his relationship with his fiancee, and slowly, ever so slowly, he was gathering his life back into some resemblance of order.

Yet fate, as it turned out, had a very queer sense of humor. Phineas was determined to give a gallant attempt at having a normal day, and so after showering and eating, he forced himself to enjoy his afternoon with a bit of brainstorming. He had been content with toying with his partially made blue prints and small scale prototypes, and almost didn't hear the knock on his front door pounding so softly down the hall.

"Ferb?" Phineas called out as he made his way towards the door, slightly baffled. His brother had visited him only yesterday to drop off Perry, and the two had made no further plans; in fact, if Phineas remembered correctly, Ferb was supposed to have a meeting with the Mayor today on behalf of the city counsel.

"Hey, what's-" Phineas could not find the words to finish his sentence as he opened the door, meeting the stare of a green eyed girl who gave him a small, timid smile.

"Hello, Phineas."

Phineas blinked back his surprise, trying to gather his courtesies as his guest waited patiently before him, "Oh! Hi, Jacqueline, ah...what are you...?"

The older woman chuckled as she ran a hand through her bobbed auburn hair, gracing Phineas with an understanding smile as she spoke in her soft accent, "I'm sorry to intrude. I would have called, but I thought perhaps it would be better to come over in person. I didn't want you to think I was trying to avoid you…due to the circumstances."

"Um..." Phineas could only smile politely at her, still as confused-if not more so-than before.

"May I come in?" Her expression was almost amused as she watched Phineas jump slightly, mentally swatting himself for his discourtesy.

"Oh, uh, yeah, no, please come in!" He stepped aside and ushered her in, quick to jump into his role as a host and begin the obligatory offerings, "Would you like anything to drink or eat? You like tea, don't you? I have some I could make for you in a jiffy. Here, take a seat."

Jacueline only gave a small, gentle laugh and waved away his nerves, her hands continuing to hold onto her purse in a manner that suggested she didn't intend to stay long, "Thank you very much, but I'm fine, really. I just wanted to ask something of you, if you have a spare moment."

"Of course. Is everything all right?" Phineas let his thumbs dangle from the edges of his pockets, balancing on the balls of his feet as he looked at the woman with a mixture of concern and blatant confusion. He hadn't expected to speak to any of Adele's family again after what had happened; least of all her older sister, and so _courteously_ at that. His expression turned weary, though he did his best to mask it.

"As all right as it can be, I suppose." Jacueline averted her eye sight from him for a moment, as if to consider her words, and spoke with careful deliberation, her tone soft as though she were telling him a secret of great importance, "Though that is not always quite good enough, is it?"

Phineas gulped. Gulped back the guilt, the shame; gulped back the wave of apologizes he wanted to spew at his guest. An apology was deserved, he knew that, and he wanted to do the right thing, but in that moment his cheeks were flushed and his heart was racing, and all he could manage was the decency of lowering his head in silent disgrace.

Stale, uncomfortable seconds ticked by without a word as Phineas waited to be reprimanded. No doubt, he would be told what a disappointment his actions were and how it had caused such a large, unnecessary mess. He was prepared to accept the accusations with quiet admission, but all he heard was a small sigh, and looked up to meet eyes that looked nearly as tired as he felt.

"She misses you, Phineas." The words came not quite as a shock, but they were odd to hear all the same. Jacueline's pretty expression fell flat as she spoke, her shoulders sagging in sympathetic remorse, "She simply won't admit to it. It was…an awful thing, what you did to her, and I know that was never your intention, but just the same…you hurt her terribly."

Even though the words had been expected, Phineas still couldn't help but grimace, "I know…I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Jacueline stopped his sentence with a small gesture of her hand, her tone an odd concoction of sadness and understanding, "You didn't, I agree. You do not have to explain yourself to me, Phineas. I only ask…Adele…" She lowered her hand, and looked down towards the floor, "…I don't want my little sisters heart to be turned bitter because of your mistake. She needs closure, and I know you have attempted to contact her and she's refused you, but Adele _needs_ to have a proper ending to all of this if she is to truly move on with her life."

Jacueline raised her head, her gaze meeting his with a stern purpose, "Not long ago, I thought you would be apart of my family. Now, the only thing I ask of you is to help Adele to _let go of you_."

'_But I still-' _Phineas caught his breath and swatted away the thought. Still what? Still loved her, still wanted her to love him and hold him, to come running back into his arms saying that everything could be worked out? What nonsensical notions those were; obviously a relationship between the two of them was not compatible, he'd accepted that.

Yet as he watched Jacueline stare at him expectantly, the familiar shade of green caused his heart to lurch, and for a moment it was as if all of the aching he'd worked so hard to overcome came rushing back at full force.

"Uh…" Phineas rubbed the back of his neck, taking in a slow breath as he attempted to pull himself together, "Yeah, no, that sounds fair, but how am I supposed to…?"

"Adele is currently staying with our parents. In a few hours, they will be attending a lecture for my fathers work. My mother told me that Adele will not be going, and will likely remain home for the rest of the evening…"

"So, you won't be telling her I'm coming?" Phineas grimaced; Adele did not like to be taken by surprise. He wondered what her reaction would be to him suddenly showing up upon her door step with words of remorse and peace that she obviously didn't want to hear.

"If I did tell her you'd be coming, she'd leave. You know this well, do you not?" Jacueline's stare turned hard as she met his eyes, her tone quiet and even, "This will not be easy, Phineas, but it must be done. Perhaps for your sake as much as hers, no?"

His gaze traveled back down to the floor. Perry had curled himself protectively in front of his feet; he knelt down beside him and scratched his side, causing his tails reflex to respond, and for a moment Phineas almost smiled.

'_For every action, there is a reaction…_' He mused as Jacueline's passive aggressive watch turned curious, '_But if nothing is done, nothing will ever happen.'_

"Well," Phineas spoke the words softly, straining to keep the wrench out of his tone, "I guess sometimes you have to take a few steps back before you can start moving forward, huh?"

He stood back up and met his guest's observation, a nervous clench in his stomach as he spoke with smile, "You know, sharks have to keep moving forward…"

"Yes." Jacueline agreed softly, and for a moment he thought he saw a flicker of pity in her eyes, "Or they'll drown."

"Yes." Phineas repeated, and he wondered if this is what drowning was like; submerged in something that could not be fought, helpless but struggling all the same in a sort of desperate, determined hope, "Yes, they will."

* * *

><p><em>This chapter is actually not completed, but I figured I've made you guys wait so long that you at least deserved a snippet of what was to come. I hope you're all not too disappointed that there wasn't a whole lot of progress in this…I was originally going to try and just make another 16-page or so chapter so that we'd be closer to the ending, but I've been mulling ideas around in my head for what I'm hoping will be a pretty epic Phineas and Ferb story, so it's lessened my drive for writing this one. I figured I could at least give you guys smaller chapters at a faster place than waiting forever and a day for me to find the inspiration to finish my long chapters. Ether way there's only a bit more of the story to wrap up, so I hope you enjoyed this! I'll try to get the next chapter up within the month. Fingers crossed!<em>


	4. Somebody that I used to know part 2

It took Phineas precisely two hours and thirty-eight minutes to coax himself into the car. He hated his newly indecisive head, but accepted that there was little he could do about it; the days of simple logic and clear lines of right and wrong were long gone, lost somewhere in the confines of a sunny backyard so many summers ago.

Still, he silently thanked every red light he came across, and drifted to a stop as he came upon a large, white house with yellow sunflowers adorning the lawn. He could see Adele's car and her car alone parked in the driveway, as promised. His nerves tingled at his finger tips and made his hands shake horribly; he wondered, not for the first time that day, if this wasn't all a terrible idea. It wasn't even as though he had any plan of what to say to Adele, assuming she even let him past the front door. He couldn't very well open with the typical "Hello, how are you?" but then again, he didn't exactly know the protocol for re-connecting with your ex-fiancé. Maybe he should open with, "Hello, sorry again for leaving you standing at the alter, how's living with your parents again?", instead. Somehow, no matter how he played it out in his head, Phineas simply couldn't see himself being able to say anything that would make things right.

'_Ok. Here we go.'_ Phineas took a deep breath and forced himself out of the car and down the perfectly trimmed walk way to Adele's house. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them from trembling, and casually nudged the doorbell with his elbow once he reached the door.

'_Deep breaths_.' He tried to soothe himself as he waited at the door, '_Everything will be ok. Just take deep breaths._'

Phineas failed to follow his own instructions as he heard footsteps approaching the door, catching his breath and holding it until he saw Adele's curious face slowly revealed. Her perplex quickly gave way to what he could only define as mild horror,her mouth opening as if to produce words yet not giving a sound.

"Um…hi." Phineas put on what he hoped was an open and friendly smile, but had a suspicion that it looked more like a nervous grimace. Adele stared at him blankly, and slowly her tensed shoulders began to relax.

"…hi."

It wasn't much, but it was certainly better than having a door slammed in his face. Phineas took a hand out of his pocket to unconsciously scratch his ear; his eyes fell to the ground and he couldn't force himself to look back up quite yet, balancing himself on the balls of his feet.

"Um…did you want to come in, or…?" A glance up to Adele's face told him she was only offering the invitation under the grace of social compulsion, but Phineas was encouraged by it all the same. He lifted his face with a smile and nodded, trying not to think about how Adele's eyes stared at him uncertainly. She led him into the living room, where she fidgeted with a decorative pillow and focused on avoiding looking at him at all costs.

They stayed in terribly awkward and painful silence for two long minutes. Phineas could feel the blood rush to his head, his ears filled with the persistent drumming of his own heart beat, and he wanted nothing more than to walk out the door and pretend he hadn't made such a fool of himself.

Adele had finally settled her gaze on him, though, and he found he couldn't move from it. Closure to their relationship had seemed like a rational idea when Phineas had been talking to Jacquelyn, but now, standing in the midst of a delicate social situation, he realized it had been a mistake. Seeing Adele hadonly sharpened the ache he'd been trying so hard to heal; he felt weak as he stood before her, hopeless and powerless, and the sensation left him uncomfortable.

"So." Adele began, if only to fill the silence. She looked at him expectantly, waiting to see what would happen.

When Phineas didn't respond and merely fidgeted nervously, she continued to speak, her voice kept calm and even, "What was it exactly that you needed, Phineas?"

"Needed?" Phineas looked at her, seemingly startled by her words, as though he'd forgotten himself what his reason for coming had been, "No, I…I mean I didn't need anything…not like an object, or anything…"

"All right, then." She watched him, and silence fell down again. To say the situation was uncomfortable seemed like a terrible understatement at this point.

"Right." Phineas finally spoke up, but he looked away from Adele, shifting the weight on his feet more towards the door, "…right. This was…I'm sorry, I'll go. I shouldn't have-I'll just go."

He was already halfway out the door when Adele called after him, her voice unsure but reaching out to him all the same, "Phineas, wait."

She kept her distance as he turned around to acknowledge her request, but in the very least she was looking at him properly now. She wrapped her arms around herself, took a breath and then spoke to him in her best civilized manner, "You don't have to go, just…just sit down, and tell me whatever it was that you needed to tell me…ok?"

Phineas hesitated, but upon seeing Adele waiting patiently, came back into the house, "Ok…"

They walked back into the living room and sat across from one another, Adele back into her comforting spot on the couch, and Phineas in the large arm chair her father loved to lounge did his best to put on a smile and relaxed his body, hoping to diffuse the situation with familiarity.

"So," Phineas began, echoing Adele's choice word from earlier, "I guess, to start, how are you?"

"I'm good." Her words were casual, but calculated, "was just packing, actually. I'll be spending the weekend in a boathouse."

"That sounds like fun." Phineas grinned at the idea, happy to have the conversation leading in a positive direction, "Especially for you. Are you gonna do your scuba diving? I know your old suit was having some issues but maybe I could patch it up and make some upgrades-"

"No, thank you, Phineas. That's ok." Adele cut him off, her shoulders tensing again ever so slightly. Phineas silently chided himself for ruining the atmosphere that had begun to develop, and rushed to correct himself.

"Oh, no, yeah, that's fine." The words spilled out of him, uncharacteristically insecure as he spoke, "I just thought-but, you're right, that was silly of me, sorry. I guess I just can't help myself, you know?"

For a second Phineas thought he saw something very akin to sadness in Adele's eyes, but she gained her composure back quickly and only offered him a polite smile. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat, if only to buy himself some extra time. His hands were folded together in front of him, and he thought once more if there was any excuse he could possibly use to get himself out of this situation before things were made even more awkward.

Then he thought of his earlier conversation with Jacquelyn, and made a firm decision to stay and see the situation through.

'_Sometimes you have to step back in order to move forward._' He reminded himself, and, taking a steadying breath,Phineas directed his eyes to meet Adele's. She was so guarded against him now; every ounce of body language she directed at him suggested that she was closed off, defensive; the days of her quiet whispered secrets and long, languid hugs seemed so far gone that it was hard to believe she had once trusted him so much.

"I miss you." Phineas blurted out, the ache he'd been trying so hard to control rearing its ugly head. He thought of more to say but chose to stay quiet, anxiously gauging Adele's reaction. For a small moment he was able to see past her well constructed emotional wall and see genuine surprise and what looked to be a familiar aching. The moment was brief, though, and before he knew it she had composed herself again, and stared him down with a hard gaze.

"Do you?" She meant for her tone to come out evened and cooled, but despite her efforts her voice betrayed her and squeaked ever so slightly. Phineas began to have the same desperate eyes he had on their wedding day, and it took all her control not to look away.

"Yes," Phineas admitted firmly; if he was going to go this route, then he was going to take it all the way, "Yes, I do."

"That's interesting." Adele picked up her nearby pillowagain and began to pick at the delicately sewn in lace, feigning disinterest in the conversation. She could tell from the corner of her eye that Phineas's shoulders were beginning to tense, his expression changing as he looked at her indifference. The fact that _he_ was getting angry at _her_ was almost ridiculous; and composure be damned, she wasn't having any of it.

"What?" She snapped at him, holding the pillow closer to her. She met his stare defiantly and tried not to scoff, "Don't give me that look, Phineas. _What did you expect me to say?_"

"I don't know." He confessed, slightly abashed at her words, but his body continued to tense, "Nothing, I guess, just…I don't see why you feel like you have to cut me out of your life and then just pick up like it never happened and that we were nothing. You don't have to say that you miss me back, Adele, just…it's like I'm just a stranger to you now and honestly, that'spretty rough…"

"Rough?" Adele looked at him as if he'd sprouted a third arm. She shook her head slowly from side to side and rested her chin on the pillow, unable to look at him anymore as her voice faltered despite her best efforts, "You don't know rough,Phineas."

"I don't? Really?" Phineas leaned back and tried to remain logical about the situation; after all, it was true that Adele had been very hurt by his actions, but still…"I've been living in the house that you and I picked out together, sleeping in the bed that we picked out together, surrounded by constant reminders every single day of what we 'could have been' all while you've refused to answer any of my calls or have any opportunity to just _talk_ about what happened…and I don't know rough?"

"I'm sure you haven't been alone, though, right?" Adele gave him a terse smile, her voice bordering on mockery, "It's easier to get over someone when you're on top of someone else, _right_?"

"What are you talking about?" He looked at her with an odd mixture of bafflement and disgust, and he wondered what sort of man she actually thought he was.

She went back to picking at her pillow for a moment before she flipped back her head, effectively moving the fallen strands of hair from her face as she strained to keep her voice even, "If I ask you something, will you be completely, 100% honest with me?"

He blinked at her, taken back by the request, but nodded. She seemed to have trouble getting the question out, however; her mouth would open as if to speak, then close, and she would look away as though collecting herself before she'd begin again. Finally she gulped back whatever emotion was keeping her constricted and looked at him, her eyes catching slightly more light than before.

"One of the guests," She began, and subconsciously placed a hand on her trembling stomach, "was leaving the church after you walked out, and she told me…she told me that she saw you, sitting with Isabella, and that you were kissing her…is that true?"

Phineas felt his mouth open and hang ajar, all the blood in his body suddenly pooling to his head once more in one foul rush. His cheeks grew hot with shame and the muscles in his stomach clenched, but despite it all he gave her the courtesy of retaining eye contact as he responded, mumbled and nearly indistinguishable, "…yes…"

Adele looked away from him, and he could see now that the extra light in her eyes had been due to a growing moisture collecting along the edges of her waterline, finally spilling over into hot tears that rolled down her cheeks in large drops and left a trail in their wake. She covered her mouth to hold back her blubbering and queasiness at the image of her once husband-to-be, dressed in the tuxedo she loved as he kissed the girl he used to insist over and over was only a 'friend'.

"I wasn't even out of my wedding dress yet, Phineas…"All the strength that had kept her collected seemed to fade as Adele spoke, her voice caught somewhere between a disbelieving laugh and stifled sob. What remained of her self-control lasted only for a moment before she buried her face in her hands, trying to hide as she broke down into tears. She wiped them away, but they seemed to fall faster than she could clear her soaked cheeks, and she cursed herself for falling apart like this, now, in front of _him_.

She didn't even notice how Phineas trembled before her, his own emotional barriers crumbling as he watched her wither in the pain he that had, completely and recklessly, caused her. It hadn't even dawned on him…there had been so much that had happened that day that he didn't think…hadn't considered…he supposed some part of him must have recognized that kissing Isabella had been wrong, but considering that he had just told his bride to wait at the alter when she had specifically told him _not_ to go, he had thought that the kiss was going to be the least of his problems, and besides that…some foolish part of him had thought, had hoped, it wouldn't be something he would have to be confronted with…but of course she found out. Of course; and not even from his own mouth, as it should have been. Phineasknew the type of people that had been invited on Adele's side of the family; had they even been kind when they'd told her what they'd seen? He could just picture it; one of their smug faces, gracing her with false pity as they told her all about his unintentional rendezvous. He doubted that they had offered even so much as a pat on the back for comfort.

"I'm sorry…" His voice cracked, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he cautiously left his seat and stole a place beside her on the sofa. She flinched initially as he wrapped an arm around her, but ended up burying her face into his shoulder as he brought her closer, pressing her to him he struggled to keep his watering eyes under control, "I'm so sorry, Adele, I'm so sorry…"

Adele's sobbing only grew at the sound of his voice, though, so close to crying along with her that it made it impossible for her to regain any scrap of her previous poise, and she found that she just didn't care anymore as she moved closer into his comforting embrace, her arms wrapped tight around his waist. It didn't matter, none of it mattered; the wedding, Isabella, the kiss; all she wanted was the warmth of being held, the comfort of Phineas's familiar body against hers. His hand was on her back and rubbing gently up and down, over and over again just as he used to whenever she was upset in the past, and she couldn't stop herself from kissing his neck through her tears in silent appreciation just as she used to do so long ago. He kissed the top of her head in return, repeatedly, never loosening his grip on her as his world, so very near to being reconstructed, began to fall into a mess once more around him.

It just seemed as though there was no end to this; no matter what he did, which way he turned, it seemed as though Phineasonly made things worse when he truly didn't mean to. Adele's body began to grow weak against him, and he leaned back on the sofa, pulling her gently on top of him so she could rest against his chest. Hot tears still fell softly into the crook of his shoulder as she cried, and when he began to stroke her hair instead of her back, she caught his hand and brought it close to her chest. Her grip on him was strong and desperate, hanging on as if it were her last life line, and she occasionally brought it to her lips, kissing his hand gently as opposed to the distressed, firm kisses she had planted on his neck.

After awhile, her breathing began to even, and it seemed the tears that had been falling on his shoulder began to slow until only the occasional drop made its way down her used his thumb to caress Adele's hand, still holding onto him tightly, and when she gave it another gentle kiss he returned the gesture by bringing her knuckles to his lips, then her fingers, and then her palm. When he was done he refused to give her hand back, however, but kept it close to him, pressing it against his cheek as his thoughts sloughed by slow and struggled, unable to make sense of anything anymore. He hadn't expected this when he had approached her front door; had never imagined in a million years that they'd be laid together on the couch, kissing and holding one another as if it were the past and this was just another step on road to their relationship together.

It wasn't, though, Phineas could faintly acknowledge that as he continued to hold Adele closely to him. Still, he was willing to live in suspended disbelief for as long as he'd be allowed, relishing in the small taste of what he had been missing for months. Adele began to run her fingers through his hair, lightly playing with his wild red strands, and Phineas closed his eyes and leaned into the sensation. He supposed he must have fallen asleep like that, because before he knew he opened his eyes and it was nearly dark, the sunlight from outside slowly dipping away from the windows. He looked down and Adele was still rested against him, a small spot of drool on his shirt from where she had been sleeping on his chest.

As it stood she appeared to still be sleeping, her chest falling and rising slowly in peaceful patterns, and while Phineaswas in no hurry to wake her, it wasn't long before she began to shift and turn against him. Her eyes opened, small and still tired, and blinked slowly up at him as they adjusted to the lack of light.

"…hi." She spoke after a moment, her voice small and slightly raw from her previous crying.

Phineas offered her a small smile in return, tucking a fallen piece of hair behind her ear as he murmured back to her, "Hi."

She closed her eyes and seemed to leaned into his touch for a moment, taking in a long, slow breath. When her eyes opened again, she shifted slightly, silently motioning for her and Phineasto sit up. Phineas obliged, untangling his arms from around her, and looked at her with a surprising amount of anxiety.

It wasn't as if anything had changed; taking a nap together didn't erase all that had happened between them, and it wasn't as if their relationship was on the brink of redemption, and this was what Phineas kept repeating to himself silently as he looked at her. Yet there was a part of him, some small part that was whispering to him foolish little things, remembering the feeling of her lips on his neck and on his hand, and he thought that maybe, just perhaps…

"…Phineas?"

His heart skipped a beat, and Phineas cleared his throat to try and rid himself of his frazzled nerves as he replied, "Yes?"

Adele was quiet for a moment, contemplating her words, before she finally spoke again, softly and kindly, "I'm glad you came over…even if, you know…I'm still glad…"

The frazzled nerves returned at full force, and it felt as though Phineas's heart doubled its pounding. He took a quiet breath and watched her carefully, trying to keep from jumping the gun as the situation unfurled, "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"That's good…" He gulped slightly, and felt his hand inch just a tad closer to her, "I'm glad, too, I'm…"

He faltered for a bit, the guilt biting at him once more, and he withdrew his hand, placing it on his knee as his voice softened, "…I never want to hurt you, Adele, not now, or then, or ever, and if I could fix things-"

"Phineas…" She offered him something of a small smile, and shook her head. Her hand rested on his knee and shook it, as if she could move the sense right into him, "I told you-you just can't fix everything."

"Not even this?"

Adele looked at him, his eyes wide, hopeful, and fearful, and she felt her stomach flip. She was transported to the church's changing room, when his eyes held the same pleading look, wanting so badly to make their relationship work, because in his world it had to. There had to at least be the _option_ for it to work, because nothing was impossible, not to him. He lived in an optimists world; and while Adele envied him for it, she couldn't quite bring herself to join him, couldn't chase the feelings of doubt and the idea of him kissing Isabella far away enough from her mind to tell him it was possible.

So she said nothing, but instead gave his knee a quick squeeze before she let her hand fall back into her lap. She turned her head towards the clock, but it was all just for show; she didn't care what time it was.

"It's getting late." The words came out almost robotic to her ears, forced and empty, but she continued, "My parents will be home soon…"

Phineas licked his lips nervously and chewed at the flesh before he prompted, "We…we could go somewhere, if you want…we could keep talking, we could-"

"I think I need to go to bed." Adele didn't meet his eyes as he looked at her, disappointed, but nodding all the same.

"Ok." He relented, and got up from the couch. Adele followed him out to the car and they stood in the open air silently, unsure of what to say or do. Not wanting to press the subject too far, Phineas was about to simply get into his car and leave before he saw Adele move towards him. He paused, and suddenly her arms were wrapped around him, hugging him close to her. He returned the hug with full force, lifting her feet off the ground slightly before placing her back down.

She looked up at him and smiled, kindly, but sadly. It seemed as though she was about to say something, but thought better of it, and instead simply told him, "Drive safe."

"I will." Phineas looked at her, wanting her to say more, and when she didn't he lowered his head towards her, meek but still hopeful, "…can I talk to you later, then?"

"I'll be gone on my trip, remember?" Adele only partially lied; it wasn't as if boating made calls impossible, and Phineasknew that, but he still closed his eyes and tried to accept the rejection gracefully.

"Ok…" He opened his eyes again and looked down at her, offering one last shot, "But, when you come back, if you want to go to coffee or something…"

"I think…" She began, carefully, gently, "that I will need time to think…I don't think I will be ok with coffee, or anything, for a very long time…"

"I understand…" Phineas didn't seem as if he did though, his expression still hurt and a bit confused, as it didn't appear as though Adele was necessarily angry with him anymore. Still, he didn't push again, and offered her a small farewell before he drove away, feeling drained and tired despite having had his small 'nap'.

He stopped by his place only to pick up Perry, but drove to his parents' house to spend the night. It seemed like the better idea, given the circumstances. Isabella must have seen him pull up, because her picture popped up on his phone in a call request, but he declined it. His emotions had been drained and pulled at enough that day; there was really no need to throw anything more into the mix.

After a meal of fried chicken and potatoes, which Phineassuspected was not actually on his mothers menu for dinner but rather was made in an attempt to cheer him up, he went up to his old bedroom and flopped on his bed. Perry joined him shortly afterwards, quickly passing out against his leg, and Phineaspatted him and smiled as the blue mammal stretched against his touch.

"At least I'll always have you, buddy."

Sleep didn't come easily to him, though. Phineas laid in his bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of all the fallen pieces of his life. He wasn't sure what time it was when he received the text message. He wasn't sure how she even knew he'd still be awake, or why she had even bothered when he had so blatantly ignored her call; but there it was, Isabella's text message, with only the words "Look at the sky" glowing from the screen.

His brows furrowed in confusion, but curiosity got the better of him and Phineas stumbled over to the window,squinting his eyes up to the night sky as he searched for something worth pointing out. There were stars, and a partially full moon, but nothing else. No aliens, or comets, or planets withwhalemingo's. Just an ordinary night sky.

Puzzled, Phineas sent her a reply, typing out the words "There's nothing there…".

The phone was silent for a few minutes, and just as Phineaswas turning to go back to bed, it dinged again. He looked; the screen read only, "Look again".

Shaking his head, Phineas peeked out his window once more. When he still saw nothing, he opened his window and leaned out, craning his neck to see what was apparently so 'see-worthy'. Only stars and a moon looked back at him.

Slightly irritated, Phineas went back to bed. He thought to just ignore Isabella's last message, but felt bad about it after a few minutes; after all, maybe there really _was_ something that he just couldn't see from his angle. He sent her another reply, letting her know that, once again, he saw nothing.

His phone dinged almost right away, and he grimaced as he read, "Look at the SKY, Phineas".

Phineas groaned and threw the covers off of him, aggregately stomping over to the window one last time, leaning out to look at the sky. Just as he was about to message Isabella that he wasn't in the mood for games and was going to sleep, he received another text, one after the other, his phone dinging with every message.

"See? The sky hasn't fallen. It's still there"

"The sun will still rise tomorrow"

"and everything is going to be OK"

"So go to bed"

"get some sleep"

"and tomorrow"

"I better hear about how you Carpi Diem'ed like never before"

Phineas looked at the text messages and blinked, slightly flabbergasted. He thought that maybe he should be upset; but he wasn't. Isabella had started this whole mess, that was the general consensus that had spread, but in all reality…Phineas had made the decision to leave the alter. He had kissed her. He was just as much to blame as anyone.

He glanced to the sky. It was still there; it _hadn't_ fallen, and there was no reason to believe that the sun _wouldn't_ rise tomorrow. With the sun came the day; and with the day came an endless array of possibilities. He hadn't thought about it in awhile now, but it was, after all, true.

So he picked his covers off the ground, climbed into bed, and wrapped himself up. Phineas lay there for a moment before he reached for his phone one last time, typing out the message "Goodnight Isabella".

He waited for a second, and a reply dinged, glowing, and simply read "Goodnight Phineas".

The phone was placed on the dresser, and Phineas closed his eyes, patting his pet platypus one last time before he fell asleep.

"Goodnight, Perry. Sweet dreams."

There was a small, grumbling chatter in response, and when Phineas dreamed, it was of sitting with his brother in the backyard under the shade of a big tree with the world's best story, just waiting to be told.

He dreamed of summer; and he didn't even know where to begin.

* * *

><p>A<em>uthors note: Ok, well, wow; this chapter really got away from me, and I sort of have to laugh about it.<em>

_You see, I had this laid out and drafted in my head so much differently. Phineas and Adele were supposed to have gotten into a huge argument and left each other steaming mad, Phineas was supposed to race to his parents house to calm down, and Isabella was supposed to come over to try and see him, but he would have been so angry still that he would have taken come of that anger out on her and she would have basically gone home and have a small melt down. It was always fuzzy after that; do I have Isabella leave and then come back years later, do I do an epilogue that lets the reader know that somewhere down the road Isabella and Phineas do get together, but his relationship with Adele is never brought to peaceful terms? I was just stuck, which is why I kept leaving the story and then coming back to write some sections of it at a time._

_Then, last night, all of THIS just sort of stumbled out of me. The characters and story literally grew a life of their own and said, "You know what? Chill; we got this."_

_Sometimes the characters know best, folks. I'm very happy with how this came out; my only apology is that there wasn't so much "Phinbella" in the last two chapters, but having gone through an estranged engagement myself, I didn't want to cheatPhineas out of his own heartbreak and slow healing process that came with everything that had happened. He was too damaged to try and pursue anything with Isabella, or anyone, yet. It will probably still take him awhile to get back to that place romantically with someone again; but rest assured, he's on the right road, folks._

_So now here's the thing; I feel like this story is concluded. I'm happy to leave it where it is and call it done, which leaves me very happy because it will be one of the first chapter stories I've actually seen through to the end, but what do you readers think? If you feel like there's more to this story that you didn't get to see, let me know; even if it's just an epilogue of how everyone turned out in the end of it all. If you guys want it, you guys get it; I can't guarantee WHEN, but, you know._

_Thanks for taking the journey with me everyone; happy reading!_

_~Serenity _


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